2023年亚太地区人工智能准备指数（英文版）

AsiaPacific

AIReadinessIndex

2023

Contents

1.ExecutiveSummary 3

1.1Background 3

1.2KeyFindings 4

2.MainFindings 5

2.1OverallAIReadiness 5

2.2GovernmentReadiness 7

2.3BusinessReadiness 11

3.Recommendations 14

AppendixIMethodology 17

AppendixIICorrelationAnalysisbetweenAI

ReadinessandEconomicPerformance 19

AppendixIIIReferences 20

2

1.ExecutiveSummary

1.1Background

Since2019,whenthefirsteditionoftheAsia-PacificAIReadinessIndexwas

released,artificialintelligence(AI)hasbecomeaneverydayrealityforconsumers,businesses,andgovernments.Thisacceleratedin2023withtheemergenceofgenerativeAI,whichhasbecomeoneofthemostimpactfultechnologylaunchesever,redefininghowweviewandrespondtotheimpactofAI.

AccordingtoarecentMcKinseystudy,generativeAIalonecouldaddthe

equivalentofUSD2.6trilliontoUSD4.4trillionineconomicbenefitsannually.1InAustralia,itisestimatedthatgenerativeAIcouldcontributeuptoAUD115

billionannuallytotheeconomyby2030.2InJapan,itisestimatedgenerativeAIcanunlockUSD1.1trillioninproductivecapacity.3

WithgenerativeAInowmorecapableandmorewidelyavailablethanbefore,

consumersareusingitfortheirdailyinformationneeds,andcompaniesare

incorporatingitintotheiroperations.Asaresult,two-thirds(67percent)ofIT

leadersareprioritisinggenerativeAIfortheirbusinesswithinthenext18months,4withone-third(33percent)claimingitasatoppriority.5Likewise,72percentof

companiessaytheywillsignificantlyincreasetheirinvestmentsinAIoverthe

nextthreeyears,6and65percentofbusinessleadersindicatetheyareeither

acceleratingtheirexistingAIstrategiesorcreatinganAIstrategyforthefirsttime.7

AtSalesforce,wearedeliveringapproximately200billionAI-poweredpredictionseveryday,upfrom6.5billionpredictionsinOctober2019.8SalesforceAICloudbringstogetherAI,data,analytics,andautomationtoprovidetrusted,open,

real-timegenerativeAIthatisenterprise-ready.

TheadoptionandutilisationofgenerativeAIrequiresalevelofAIreadiness,whichincludes:

•Infrastructure:generativeAImodelscurrentlyrequiresignificantcomputationalresourcesorspecialisedhardware;

•Data:generativeAImodelsrequirelargeamountsofhigh-qualitytrainingdatatolearnmeaningfulpatternsandgeneraterealisticcontent;

•Skills:developinganddeployinggenerativeAImodelsrequireexpertiseinAIandmachinelearning;

•Ethics:generativeAIcanraiseethicalconcerns,suchasthepotentialforbiasedorharmfulcontent;and

•Integration:AIreadinessalsoencompassestheabilitytointegrategenerativeAImodelsintoreal-worldapplicationsandworkflows.

FordigitaleconomiestotakeadvantageofthefullpotentialofgenerativeAI,theyneedtohavestronginstitutional,infrastructural,organisational,and

ethicalfoundationsaroundAI.

CommissionedbySalesforceandpreparedbyAccessPartnership,the2023Asia-PacificAIReadinessIndex(theIndex)aimstohelpAsiaPacific(APAC)economiesassessbusinesses’andgovernments’readinesstoadopt,deploy,andintegrateAI.

This2023editioncovers12economiesintheregion:Australia,China(newaddition),India,Indonesia,Japan,Malaysia,NewZealand,thePhilippines,Singapore,SouthKorea(newaddition),Thailand,andVietnam.9

Foreachcountry,theIndexmeasuresbusinesses’andgovernments’

multi-facetedAIreadinessanditsimpactonsocio-economicopportunitiesthrough15statisticalindicators.10

ThereportprovidesrecommendationsforbusinessesandgovernmentstohelpoperationaliseandmaximisetheuseofAI.

3

1.2KeyFindings

1.OverallAIreadinessofAPACeconomieshasadvancedacrosstheregion

Outofthe12economiescoveredinthe2023edition,five(Australia,

Indonesia,NewZealand,Singapore,andThailand)haveseentheiroverall

AIreadinessimprovefromtheir2021score.Thisisadirectreflectionofthe

manyAI-relatedinitiativesthoseeconomieshavelaunchedandimplementedbetween2021and2023.Singaporeholdsthenumberonespotforthethirdconsecutivetimesince2019,theresultofalargelyconducivepolicyand

businessenvironment.Respectivelyranked2ndand3rd,JapanandChina

havedevelopedandimplementedseveralforward-lookinginitiativesto

frameandenableAIadoptionbyallaspectsoftheeconomy.SouthKorea(4th)andAustralia(5th)—twoeconomiesthatarealsoprolificintheAIspace—

closeoffthetopfive.

2.GovernmentAIreadinessincreasedforallAPACeconomies

GovernmentAIreadinesshasincreasedforallofthecoveredAPAC

economiesbetween2021and2023.ThailandandIndonesiaexperienced

thelargestincrease,atestamenttothemomentumcreatedbythepublicationoftheirlong-awaitednationalAIstrategiesin202211and2021,12respectively.EconomieshavegonebeyondrecognisingthevalueofAI;theyhavetaken

actionandareeffectivelyreadytoharnessthetransformativepotentialofAIforthedigitalisationofgovernmentprocessesandservices.

3.BusinessAIreadinessisstagnatingduetoMSMEs

BusinessAIreadinesshasstagnatedformostAPACeconomiesbetween2021and2023.Thisassessmentislargelyduetotheinclusionofmicro,small,andmediumenterprises(MSMEs)inthesecalculations,asthesehaveatendencytodigitisemoreslowlyandatasmallerscalethanbiggercorporations.Vietnamexperiencedthelargestslowdown,andonly

Singaporesawitsscoreriseinthisarea.

4.Thereisadividebetweeneconomieswithmatureandemerging

AIecosystems

Overall,the2023editionIndexshowsadividebetweenmatureand

emergingdigitaleconomies:apartfromSingapore,allSoutheastAsian

countries—Indonesia,Malaysia,Thailand,thePhilippines,andVietnam—

scoredbelowtheAPACaverage.However,thesecountrieshavealllaunchednationalAIpoliciesandstrategiesbetween2021and2022,suggestingthatitmayonlybeamatteroftimebeforewestartseeingtheon-the-ground

impactoftheseAIinitiativesonbusinessesandgovernmentorganisations.

5.AIisadriverofeconomicdynamismandgrowth

Thisreport’scorrelationsshowthatanimportantfactorincountries’AI

readinessiswhethertheyhaveanopen,robust,dynamic,anddiversified

economy.OverallAIreadinessstronglycorrelateswithGDPpercapita,theabilitytoleveragecomparativeandcompetitiveadvantages,thepropensitytoharnesstechnologicalinnovation,thedynamismofthelocalstart-up

ecosystem,andtheeasewithwhichbusinessescannavigategovernmentprocessesandbureaucraticmechanisms—suggestingthatAIcanbea

catalystofchangeforAPACeconomieswhileeconomies’dynamismcanfurtherexpandthepossibilitiesofAIusecases.

4

2.MainFindings

2.1OverallAIReadiness

Table1providesabreakdownofthescoresforthemaincomponentsoftheAIReadinessIndex.13SingaporeretainsthetoppositionacrossallformsofAIreadiness,followedbyJapaninoverallreadiness.Chinaranked2ndinbusinessreadiness,andAustraliais2ndingovernmentreadiness.

Sincethelastreportin2021,SingaporehaslaunchedmanydecisiveAI-related

initiatives,withanaimtoempowerpublic-andprivate-sectororganisationsto

adoptAIinaresponsiblemanner:theNationalAIPrograminGovernment,14theNationalAIPrograminFinance,15theAIinHealthcareGuidelines,16andAIVerify.17

Japan’sAIWhitePaper18anditsmultilateralpushfortheDataFreeFlowwithTrust(DFFT)framework19haveadvancedtheinternationalAIagenda,whileChina’s14thFive-YearPlanforNationalInformatisation20andWhitePaperonTrustworthyAI21haveenabledtheriseofmanyinnovativeAIcompanies.

Likewise,AustraliahasreleasedtheNavigatingAIreport,22theAIEcosystemMomentumreport,23andtheResponsibleAINetwork24tooperationaliseAI.

OverallAIReadiness:SingaporeleadstheAPACregion(70.1),

followedbyJapan(59.8),andChina(59.7).

BusinessAIReadiness:SingaporeleadstheAPACregion(53.6),followedbyChina,(43.1),andSouthKorea(42.7).

GovernmentAIReadiness:SingaporeleadstheAPACregion(86.5),

followedbyAustralia(77.7)andJapan(77.5).

Table1:Overall,Business,andGovernmentAIReadiness2023(scoresoutof100)

GovernmentAIReadiness

2023score

Singapore(70.1)Singapore(53.6)Singapore(86.5)

2

Japan(59.8)

China(43.1)

Australia(77.7)

3

China(59.7)

SouthKorea(42.7)

Japan(77.5)

4

SouthKorea(59.2)

India(42.2)

China(76.3)

5

Australia(58.2)

Japan(42.1)

SouthKorea(75.7)

6

NewZealand(54.6)

Australia(38.7)

NewZealand(72.9)

7

India(49.8)

NewZealand(36.2)

Malaysia(64.4)

8

Malaysia(47.3)

Malaysia(30.3)

Thailand(59.9)

9

Thailand(43.6)

Thailand(27.3)

India(57.4)

10

Indonesia(39.3)

ThePhilippines(25.4)

Indonesia(55.0)

11

Vietnam(36.5)

Vietnam(25.0)

Vietnam(48.1)

12

ThePhilippines(35.7)

Indonesia(23.5)

ThePhilippines(46.0)

BusinessAIReadiness

2023score

OverallAIReadiness

2023score

Ranking

1

Source:AccessPartnershipresearch

5

Figure1:OverallAIReadiness2019-2021-2023(scoresandranks)

Lookingattrendsovertime,Figure1shows:

Japan

59.8

South2021#260.0Korea

China59.2

59.7

#4

#3

Vietnam36.5

202143.3

#11

#7

Malaysia

India

49.8

2021#651.12019#447.7

#1

Indonesia

39.3

2021#1136.6

2019#736.9

2021#165.6

2019#163.9

#6

Australia

58.2

2021#357.8

2019#256.9

●Leader

●Aboveaverage●Belowaverage

•Singaporestandsoutbyconsistentlykeepingitstopspotsince2019,alongwithJapanretainingits2ndpositionsince2021.

•TheadditionofChinaandSouthKoreatothe2023editionoftheIndex

haspushedAustraliato5thfromits3rdplacein2021.Indonesiaand

#2

ThailandhaveseenthelargestriseintermsofoverallAIreadinessbetween

2021and2023.TheintroductionofoverarchingnationalAIstrategiesbybotheconomies,alongwithasuiteofenablinggovernmentinitiatives.

Thailand

43.6

2021#940.3

2019#638.7

Philippines

35.7

2021#1038.5

2019#835.9

Overall,outofthe12economiescoveredinthe2023editionoftheIndex,five(Australia,Indonesia,NewZealand,Singapore,andThailand)have

seentheiroverallAIreadinessimprove.

#12

#9

47.3

2021#748.2

2019#546.4

#10

#8

Singapore

70.1

NewZealand

54.6

2021#554.0

#5

●Newin2021

6

Figure2:GovernmentAIReadiness2019-2021-2023(scoresandranks)

2.2GovernmentAIReadiness

GovernmentAIreadinessassessesgovernments’abilitytoleverageand

Japan

77.5

South2021#371.6Korea

China75.7

76.3

#5

#4

Philippines

46.0

2021#1140.4

2019#838.4

#12

#9

Malaysia

India

57.4

2021#755.02019#550.2

#1

Indonesia

55.0

2021#1043.3

2019#741.4

2021#181.5

2019#176.4

#6

Australia

77.7

2021#274.2

2019#269.1

●Leader

●Aboveaverage●Belowaverage

harnessdata-driveninnovationsbyexaminingtheextenttowhichtheybuildenablingpoliciesandconducivebusinessecosystems.Italsoassessesthe

#3

degreetowhichAIisbeingusedbypublic-sectororganisationstoimproveefficienciesinthedeliveryofservices—thusensuringwiderandfaireraccesstoarangeofdigitalexperiences.

Thailand

59.9

2021#945.0

2019#642.8

Vietnam

48.1

2021#846.7

Figure2showsthatSingapore,Australia,andJapantakeupthetopthreespots,followedbyChina,SouthKorea,NewZealand,Malaysia,Thailand,andIndia.Ranking10th,11th,and12threspectively,Indonesia,Vietnam,andthePhilippinescontinuetorankatthelowerendofthespectrum.

#11

#8

Althoughgovernmentreadinesslevelshaveincreasedacrossalleconomies,thedifferencesbetweenhighandlowscorersremainsconsistentwiththe2021and2019editionsoftheIndex.Vietnamhasshownthesmallest

increaseingovernmentAIreadiness,droppingthreespotsfrom8thspot

64.4

2021#657.1

2019#452.3

in2021to11thin2023.WhiletheVietnamgovernmenthasrolledouttheNationalStrategyontheResearch,Development,andApplicationofAI

#10

#7

UntiltheYear2030,25andhasbeenheavilyinvestinginAIandotherdigitaltechnologies,26progressisimpactedbyalackofAItalentandexpertise.27

Singapore

86.5

NewZealand

72.9

2021#566.3

#2

●Newin2021

7

Lookingcloseratthegovernmentreadinessindicators,Table2shows:

•Acrossthespectrum,Singaporeleadsindigitaltransformationofthepublicsector,opengovernmentdata,humancapitalandresearch,ICTregulation,andgovernmentpromotionofinvestmentinemergingtechnologies.

•Australiaisamongthetopscorers,reflectingitssustainedmomentumtobuildonitsrichopendatasources28andtoengagebeyondthepublicsectorthroughinitiativessuchastheAusGovernmentDataSummit.29

•NewZealandisleadingindigitalgovernmentandopengovernmentdata.ThiscanbeattributedtotheOpenDataActionPlanrolledoutin2021,

whichseekstoenableopendataandacceleratethereleaseandreuseofopengovernmentdata.30

Table2:GovernmentAIReadiness2023,detailedscores(scoresoutof10)

GovernmentAIReadiness2023

Country

Digital

Evolution

Index

Digital

Government

Score

E-ParticipationIndex(EPI)

Open

Government

DataIndex

(OGDI)

HumanCapitalandResearch

H-indexforAIpublications

ICTRegulation

(“Governance”

pillar)

Government

Promotionof

Investment

inEmerging

Technologies

(“Government”

pillar)

Australia8.08.29.910.06.26.18.85.1

China

6.2

6.6

8.6

8.9

5.3

9.4

6.0

10.0

India

4.7

7.2

5.9

9.9

3.8

4.9

6.1

3.5

Indonesia

4.8

7.6

7.2

9.0

2.2

1.2

6.1

6.0

Japan

7.8

8.5

10.0

9.9

5.3

5.3

8.1

7.2

Malaysia

6.9

7.4

6.8

8.6

4.1

3.2

6.9

7.6

NewZealand

8.0

9.3

9.5

10.0

5.5

2.5

8.4

5.2

Philippines

4.4

7.0

4.9

7.3

2.5

0.8

6.0

3.9

Singapore

9.9

9.2

9.8

10.0

6.2

5.5

8.8

10.0

SouthKorea

8.3

8.7

9.4

9.7

4.8

4.4

7.4

7.7

Thailand

5.3

7.8

7.8

9.3

3.0

1.6

6.6

6.4

Vietnam

4.7

6.5

5.3

6.4

2.7

1.8

5.6

5.4

Source:SeethefulllistofdatasourcesinAppendixI.Methodology.AllcalculationsbyAccessPartnership.

8

APACdevelopmentsingenerativeAI

ThissectionprovidesanoverviewofthegenerativeAIlandscapeacrossthe

12economiescoveredinthisreport.

Australia:TheAustraliangovernmentandbusinesseshavebeentakingactivestepstoharnessthepotentialofgenerativeAI,whichisestimatedtoadduptoAUD115billionannuallytoAustralia’seconomyby2030.31

InJuly2023,theDigitalTransformationAgency(DTA)andthe

DepartmentofIndustry,ScienceandResources(DISR)publishedasetof“interim”guidelinesontheuseofgenerativeAIbythepublicsector,forlowriskinstances.32Withintheprivatesector,AustralianemployeesareseeingariseintheuseofAIintheworkplace,withtwo-thirds(67

percent)ofrespondentsusinggenerativeAItoolsatworkweekly.33

China:TheCyberspaceAdministrationofChina(CAC)announced

comprehensiveregulationsforgenerativeAIinJuly2023,emphasising

adherencetocoresocialistvaluesandacontrolledrolloutofChatGPT-likeservices.34Thenewrules,effectivefromAugust2023,coverallgenerative

AIcontentservicesofferedtotheChinesepublic.35

India:AIisestimatedtounlockUSD621billionofproductivecapacity

inIndia,whichisequivalenttoalmostafifthofthecountry’sGDPin

2021.36India’sgenerativeAIfirmshaveattractedacumulativeinvestmentofmorethanUSD590million.37TheMinistryofElectronicsandIT(MeitY)

hasannouncedplanstodraftanewroadmaptodevelopIndia’sAI

ecosystemfocusedonitsdomesticIndiaAIPlatformtopromotelocal

start-ups,research,andinnovation.38

Indonesia:Indonesia’sgenerativeAImarketisforecastedtohavea

compoundannualgrowthrate(CAGR)ofover24.4percentfrom2023to2030.39Somebanksareexploringthepotentialofusinggenerative

AIcloudsolutionstoimprovethequalityoftheirchatbots,increase

employeeproductivity,andautomatecontentcreation.40TheIndonesian

governmenthasoutlineditsoverarchingAIpolicyframeworkintheStrategyforArtificialIntelligence2020-2045(StranasKA).41

9

Japan:InApril2023,theLiberalDemocraticParty(LDP)releasedits

AIWhitePaper.42InMay2023,theJapanesegovernment’sAIStrategy

Councilreevaluatedandrestructuredtheissuesandstrategieson

generativeAIin“TentativeSummaryofAIIssues”.43InJuly2023,the

governmentannouncedaproposedAIauditandcertificationframeworkwhichoutlinesuserguidelinesforconfidentialityandmisinformation

issuesandarisk-basedapproachtoensuregenerativeAIcompliancewithJapan’slawsandregulations.44Japan’sMinistryofEducation

haspublishedguidelinesallowingthelimiteduseofgenerativeAIinelementary,juniorhigh,andhighschools.45

Malaysia:NearlyathirdofsurveyedcompanieshavealreadyintegratedgenerativeAI,andover40percentofICTprofessionalsreportthattheirorganisationsareactivelyexploringtheuseofgenerativeAItodrive

businessgrowth.46TheMalaysiangovernmenthasoutlineditsnationalAIpolicyframeworkintheMalaysianNationalAIRoadmapfor2021-2025.47

NewZealand:InMay2023,thePrivacyCommissionerofNewZealandreleasedguidanceonhisoffice’sexpectationsontheuseofgenerativeAIbybusinessesthataresubjecttothePrivacyAct2020.48ArevisedversionthatoutlinedpotentialprivacyrisksassociatedwithgenerativeAItools

wassubsequentlyissuedinJune2023.49

ThePhilippines:ItisestimatedthatgenerativeAIcanunlockUSD79.3

billionofproductivecapacity,whichisequivalenttoafifthofthecountry’sGDPin2022.50ThePhilippinesgovernmentlauncheditsNationalAI

StrategyRoadmapin2021.51

Singapore:InJune2023,theInfocommMediaDevelopmentAuthority(IMDA)publishedadiscussionpaper,incooperationwithAicadium,

toshareSingapore’spracticalandaccretiveapproachtogenerativeAIgovernance.52InJune2023,DeputyPrimeMinisterHengSweeKeatsharedthatanewinitiative,ProjectMindForge,whichwouldhelp

examinetherisksandopportunitiesofgenerativeAIforthefinancial

sectorbybringingkeystakeholdersfromthebankingsectortogetherwithleadingAIcompaniestopilotandprototypetoolsundertheauspicesofthegovernment.53

SouthKorea:InMay2023,theSouthKoreangovernmentannounced

thatitwillsetnewstandardsandguidelinesforcopyrightsofAI-generatedcontentbySeptember2023tominimisedisputesandconfusionover

intellectualpropertyrights.54InJune2023,theNationalInstituteof

TechnologyandStandards(NITES)establishedthefirstnationalstandard(KS)forAIethicsinKorea.55ThiswasaresponsetotheglobalproliferationofgenerativeAItechnologyandtheheighteneddiscussionssurroundingAIethics.56InJune2023,PresidentYoonSukYeoldeclaredtheParis

Initiative,whichcontainsthebasicprinciplesforestablishingaglobaldigitalordertoestablishadigitalethicscodeintheeraofadvancingtechnologiessuchasChatGPT.57

Thailand:TheprivatesectorinThailandisexploringgenerativeAI’spotentialandapplicationsinmarketingandchatbots.58TheThai

governmenthaspublisheditsNationalAIStrategyandActionPlan(2022-2027)inJuly2022.59

Vietnam:TheprivatesectorhasshowninterestingenerativeAI

applications,butthenumberofgenerativeAI-focusedcompanies

remainsrelativelysmall.60In2021,theVietnamgovernmentlaunchedtheNationalStrategyontheResearch,Development,andApplicationofAIUntiltheYear2030.61

10

2.3BusinessAIReadiness

BusinessAIreadinessassessesthedegreetowhichprivate-sectororganisationsarefinancially,organisationally,andculturallycapableofadaptingtotherapidlychangingmarketdynamicsofanincreasinglydata-drivenglobaldigitaleconomy.

TheBusinessAIreadinessscoreislowerthantheGovernmentAIreadinessscoreasbusinessescoveredinthereadinessscorealsocomprisestart-upsandMSMEsinadditiontoenterprises.ItisestimatedthatSMEsalonecomprise96percent

ofallbusinessesinAsia.62Hence,eventhoughenterprisesarequicktoadopt

AIintheirbusinessoperations,smallerplayerslikeMSMEslagbehindinadoptionduetolackoftechnologicalinfrastructure,budget,andashortageofAItalent

andexpertise.63

GenerativeAIislikelytoleveltheplayingfieldandencouragebroaderAI

adoptionamongsmallerplayersbyofferingaffordableandcustomisedsolutions,automatingtasks,improvingdecision-making,enhancingcustomerexperience,andfacilitatingscalablegrowth.64

11

Figure3:BusinessAIReadiness2019-2021-2023(scoresandranks)

Figure3showsthat:

•Singapore,China,andSouthKoreaholdthetopthreespots,followed

byIndia,Japan,Australia,NewZealand,Malaysia,andThailand.Ranking10th,11th,and12threspectively,thePhilippines,Vietnam,andIndonesiasitatthelowerendofthespectrum.

•Singaporehasretainedthetoppositionintheregionsince2019,withbusinessesacrosskeysectors—financialservices,healthcare,transportandlogistics,andtourism—well-equippedtoadoptAI.65

•InChina,AIadoptionhasmainlyfocusedonthefinancialservices,retail,andhigh-techsectors,whichtogetherrepresentoverathirdofthecountry’sAImarket.66

•Vietnamhasshownthegreatestdecreaseinbusinessreadiness,droppingfrom7thspotin2021to11thin2023.ThismaybeduetoashortageofAItalent.67

•Ofthecountriescoveredintheinaugural2019editionoftheIndex,

Indonesiahasexperiencedthelargestfall(droppingfrom8thspot

in2019to12thin2023),followedbyMalaysia,Thailand,andthe

Philippines(whichalldroppedbythreespotsbetween2019and2023).WhilethesecountrieshaveallrecentlylaunchednationalAIstrategiesandroadmaps,theyremainbelowtheAPACaverageforbusiness

readiness.Thishighlightsthepressingneedfornationalinitiativestoequiptheregion’s70millionSMEswiththetoolstocapitaliseonAI.68

Japan

42.1

2021#248.4

China43.1

#3

#2

Philippines

25.4

2021#936.6

2019#733.5

#10

#4

India

42.2

2021#347.32019#245.2

#1

Indonesia

23.5

2021#1129.9

2019#832.4

2021#149.7

2019#151.3

#7

Australia

38.7

2021#641.5

2019#344.8

●Leader

●Aboveaverage●Belowaverage

SouthKorea42.7

#5

Thailand

27.3

2021#1035.6

2019#634.6

Vietnam

25.0

2021#739.9

#11

#9

Malaysia30.3

2021#839.42019#540.5

#12

#8

Singapore

53.6

NewZealand

36.2

2021#541.7

#6

●Newin2021

12

Lookingcloseratthebusinessreadinessindicators,Table3showsthat:

•Singaporeisaheadofothercountriesintermsofbusinesses’adoptionof

emergingtechnologiesandbusinesssophistication.Singaporealsoleadsintermsofventurecapitalavailabilityandvaluation,amajorfactorbehindthedynamism—andlongevity—ofAIstart-ups.Chinaleadsthewayintermsofknowledgeandtechnologyoutputs.69

•SouthKorealeadsintermsofcreativeoutputs,whichincludeintangibleassets(suchasglobalvalueof5,000mostvaluablebrands),70creativegoodsand

services,andcreativegoodsexports(suchasmovies,music,anddramas).71

Table3.BusinessAIReadiness2023,detailedscores(scoresoutof10)

•IndialeadsintermsofnumberofAIstart-ups,scoringaheadofotherAPAC

economies.ThismaybelinkedtothefactthattotalinvestmentsinAIstart-upsinIndiastoodatUSD3.24billionin2022,withfundingdevotedtoAIstart-upstotallingUSD7.73billionbetween2013and2022.72

GovernmentAIReadiness2023

Country

Companies’

AdoptionofEmerging

Technologies

Business

Sophistication

KnowledgeandTechnologyOutputs

CreativeOutputs

Labour-Market

Reconfiguration

(“Churn”)Dueto

DigitalTransformation

NumberofAIStart-Ups

VentureCapital

Availability&Valuation

Australia8.24.93.23.82.12.12.8

China

..

5.6

5.7

4.9

2.3

4.5

2.9

India

5.2

3.1

3.4

2.4

2.2

9.4

3.9

Indonesia

5.9

2.2

1.9

1.9

2.8

0.4

1.4

Japan

8.5

5.8

5.3

3.9

2.4

1.2

2.4

Malaysia

7.2

3.6

3.2

2.7

2.5

0.4

1.6

NewZealand

7.8

4.4

3.6

3.8

..

0.3

1.8

Philippines

5.2

3.7

3.1

2.1

2.6

0.1

1.1

Singapore

8.9

6.6

4.9

3.9

2.1

2.0

9.3

SouthKorea

7.5

5.8

5.5

5.5

2.3

1.6

1.7

Thailand

6.1

3.6

3.0

2.5

2.4

0.3

1.3

Vietnam

5.0

3.2

2.6

3.1

2.1

0.4

1.1

Sources:SeethefulllistofdatasourcesinAppendixI.Methodology.AllcalculationsbyAccessPartnership.13

3.Recommendations

The2023IndexfindingsshowthatdespiteAPACeconomies’varyingdegrees

ofAIreadinessandtheirdifferingapproaches,allofthemareprioritisingthe

advancementofAIandgenerativeAI.Comparedto2019and2021,AIisnowatthetopofnationalagendasforalleconomies,theimplementationofnationalAIstrategiesiswellunderway,andawarenessonthepotentialimpactofAIforeconomicgrowthanddevelopmentisatanall-timehigh.

ImplementNationalAIstrategies

Atthetimeofwriting,mostAPACcountrieshaveaNationalAI

strategyinplace,and,insomecases,aNationalAIbodydevotedexclusivelytocoordinatingAIefforts.Yetnotallcountrieshave

progressedintermsofreadiness.ThisisbecausehavingaNationalAIpolicyoragencyinplacedoesnotautomaticallyleadtoeffectiveAIadoptionandoperationalisation.Thisentailsgivinggovernmentagenciesthemandate,authority,legitimacy,budget,andresourcestoimplementthestrategy.

Tobetrulyeffective,NationalAIstrategiesneedtobedistilled

aswhole-of-governmentefforts,withactionplansandroadmaps

thatareindustry-andsector-specific.Asdemonstratedbythe

experiencesofSingapore,Japan,China,SouthKorea,andAustralia,

thisisanapproachthatallowsnationalAIstrategiestobesustainedovertime.

14

Adoptarisk-basedapproachtoAIregulation,andharmonisationandconsistencyaround

existin