Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are forecast to add $15 trillion to the global economy by
2030. The report findings reveal that governments in the Global North are still better positioned
to reap the benefits of AI than their southern counterparts. This poses a risk therefore that
countries in the Global South could be left behind by the so-called fourth industrial revolution.
Not only will they not reap the potential benefits of AI, but there is also the danger that
unequal implementation widens global inequalities.
A surprising outcome is China’s relatively low position of 20th, even though central and local
governments are already implementing AI in public service delivery. The best performing
region, on average, is North America, while the worst performing regions are Africa and the
Asia-Pacific.
There are no African countries in the top 50 positions, and only 12 African countries (out of 54
in the list) are in the top 100. The top five placed