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AILA
Artificial Intelligence Landscape Assessment
From readiness to development impact: Assessing the AI landscape within countries
In this unprecedented era of AI innovation, developing countries stand at a crossroads to unlock radical opportunities for growth and progress, even as they manage the profound risks that accompany such disruptive technology.
The United Nations Development Programme is playing a pivotal role in helping countries use AI safely and responsibly to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. We invite countries to use the Artificial Intelligence Landscape Assessment (AILA) to unlock the potential of AI and build a safe, inclusive and sustainable digital future.
What is AILA?
AILA is a comprehensive framework created by UNDP to assist countries in responsibly and effectively harnessing the potential of AI. AILA focuses on three foundational pillars:
• Government as an enabler of AI
• Government as a user of AI
• Ethical AI
How does AILA support governments with AI-preparedness?
AILA is designed for national governments. It offers a holistic and practical framework to explore and address ethical, technical, and governance challenges related to AI. By design, AILA can be used by governments at any stage of their digital maturity or digital transformation journey.
AILA aligns with the key pillars of UNDP’s Digital Transformation Framework, a blueprint for countries embarking on their digital transformation journey, focused on people, connectivity, government, economy and regulations. Whether governments are just beginning to adopt AI or are seeking to refine existing strategies, AILA empowers policymakers to make informed decisions towards ensuring that AI is developed and deployed inclusively, ethically, and sustainably.
AILA assesses a country's preparedness for AI adoption by examining the following factors: infrastructure, skills, data, innovation support, governmental strategic vision, governmental technological capabilities, and mechanisms for accountability, inclusivity, safety and transparency in AI deployment.
Three pillars of AI Readiness
What are the benefits of AILA?
With AILA, governments can proactively address the challenges and harness the opportunities presented by AI, while ensuring that technological advancement is sustainable and inclusive. AILA also provides actional insights and recommendations for countries to enhance their AI capabilities and improve their standing on the global Government AI Readiness Index. These insights help to better equip countries with the intelligence to craft robust, innovative AI strategies and policies that are aligned with their unique developmental goals. Ultimately, these insights help contribute to meaningful outcomes with society-wide impact through the increased ability to leverage AI.
Supporting the global AI for sustainable development agenda
UNDP advocates for a ‘whole-of-society' approach to digital transformation, including for the adoption of AI as a critical accelerator. UNDP’s work on AI is supported by UN inter-agency cooperation, particularly complementing UNESCO’s Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) for AI.
Read more about the UNESCO–UNDP joint collaboration.
Is your country ready to start using AILA?
Country insights generated by AILA
Testimonials from stakeholders
“AI and other digital technologies can advance democracy and human rights by facilitating civic engagement and political participation. They can also prevent information pollution and as such play an important role in strengthening social cohesion – depending on the choices we make.”
— Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
"We have already established the AI committee to formulate the National AI Strategy. [AILA] will help us assess where we are as a country today to secure the benefits of AI and support the formulation of the foundation for strategy."
— Hon. Kanaka Herath, State Minister of Technology, Sri Lanka
"AILA served as a valuable diagnostic tool, providing insights into Sri Lanka's AI landscape across three key dimensions: Government as a User, Enabler of AI, and Ethical AI. These insights significantly contributed to the development of our AI strategy and informed the final strategy document."
— Deshani Nisansala Senanayake, Gender and Experimentation Lead & Digital Advocate, Sri Lanka CO
"The AI Landscape Assessment has been a transformative tool for Montenegro, enabling a comprehensive analysis of AI readiness across society and government. Its actionable recommendations are positioned to shape policies, infrastructure, and skills development, driving our progress toward ethical AI integration and sustainable digital transformation."
— UNDP Montenegro Country Office
Test your knowledge on AI readiness
Test your knowledge and see how prepared you are for the AI revolution. Participants need to score at least 85 points to be considered AI-ready.
Take the AI Readiness Self-Assessment Quiz
News and highlights
Contact us
For more information about AILA, including to express your interest in having it deployed in your country or to explore partnership opportunities, please contact our team: digital@undp.org.