According to a recent AI maturity index, out of 73 economies assessed, only Canada, Mainland China, Singapore, the UK, and the U.S. are categorized as AI pioneers. More than 70% scored below the halfway mark in categories like ecosystem participation, skills, and R&D.
AI is revolutionizing industries and economies, positioning itself as a cornerstone of future economic development. Its rapid implementation has made it a top priority for economies worldwide.
BCG advises policymakers to act now and adjust to a world of AI, in order to boost resiliency, productivity, jobs, modernization, and competitiveness.
AI will make up progressively larger shares of the pioneers’ GDPs over the next several years, as these actors supply more and more AI technologies, services, skills, and investment to the world.
In South America, Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay were also categorized as AI pioneers by the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA), highlighting them as the region’s leaders in AI readiness.
AI Pioneers in North America
In skills, the U.S. and Singapore stand out with powerful AI talent pools, which are crucial for driving innovation. The U.S. leads in investment, driven by its sophisticated capital markets and the abundance of industry players competiting within the AI landscape.
Massive fiber investments by companies like Lumen and Corning are building the AI economy’s backbone, supporting major cloud data centers. Hyperscalers, such as AWS, are also making a major push to entice the public sector to join the AI revolution and support startups for Generative AI development.
Innovating responsibly, the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched the US AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) on February 2024. This aims to bring together AI creators and users, academics, government and industry researchers, and civil society organizations to help advance the development and deployment of safe and trustworthy AI.
On the other hand, Canada solidified its tech leadership by becoming the first country to launch a national AI strategy in 2017. The government is taking proactive steps to provide organizations, businesses, and researchers with the necessary support while advancing AI technology.
In 2023, Canada's Voluntary Code of Conduct regarding the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems provided a set of guidelines that organizations can incorporate into their practices when working on the creation and oversight of general-purpose generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
For the first time last year, a Canadian-based airline integrated AI into its safety management system (SMS) to manage incident reporting.
In 2024, the country continued to progress with the new Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) project and the the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) that will bolster Canada’s capacity to address AI safety risks.
This year, TELUS and Mila also announced a strategic partnership where they will be exploring state-of-the-art AI technologies and potential industry impacts for the benefit of Canadian customers.
ICT: High AI Exposure Results in GDP Growth
ICT sectors, encompassing information, communication, and high-tech goods, have also shown high AI exposure. Beyond driving automation, such sectors also produce AI-related goods and services that other industries use or sell.
As a result, economies with strong ICT sectors that produce AI technologies will see their GDPs grow. In fact, 47% of CTIOs in Mexico believe that improving AI use to extract more value from data is crucial for the digital acceleration of their companies.
Moreover, semiconductors created by an economy’s high-tech goods sector are also heavily used in autonomous driving for enhanced safety features and improved fuel efficiency. As a result, homegrown AI has the potential to disrupt an economy’s automotive sector, making it more innovative and competitive. In this way, both automakers and chip makers can anticipate further revenue growth.
Also Read: Transformative Tech: ICTs in North and South America
