Governments around the world see artificial intelligence as a nation defining capability. Countries are looking to their education systems to develop world-class generational AI capability while ensuring equity, privacy, transparency, accountability, economic and social impact.
Over the past 2 years, we’ve been tracking the emergence of Global AI Policy, as governments come to grips with the impact and opportunities of advanced technology. HolonIQ’s mission is to power decisions that matter. The emerging AI policy landscape is a major driver defining future global competitiveness, but also profoundly shaping the future of humanity.
Our 2020 Global AI Strategy Landscape builds on the 2019 Landscape and maps 50 national artificial intelligence strategies, representing 90% of Global GDP.
Governments and experts are invited to submit updates on their AI strategy below through our messenger below.
50 National AI Strategies
Our 2020 Global AI Strategy Landscape builds on the 2019 Landscape and maps 50 national artificial intelligence strategies, representing 90% of Global GDP.
Download the summary slide for a snapshot of the Global AI Policy Landscape.
We have also shared brief summaries and links to the underlying policy/strategy document were publically available below.
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Argentina. 'National Plan of Artificial Intelligence'
The Argentinian Secretary of Government of Science and Technology is drafting the “National Plan of Artificial Intelligence” and falls under the Innovative Argentina 2030 Plan and the 2030 Digital Agenda.
Argentina is also in the process of establishing a national AI Innovation Hub.
AI Roadmap released Nov 2019 focused on technological specialisation in health, infrastructure and natural resources. Plan to develop an additional 161,000 AI specialist workers by 2030. AI assessed to be worth $315 billion to Australia’s economy by 2028.
In June 2019, the government of Austria issued Artificial Intelligence Mission Austria 2030 (AIM AT 2030) as Austria’s current strategy for AI. The strategy outlines seven fields for which AI will be critical: Research and innovation, Society, ethics and labour market, Qualification and training, AI governance, security and law, AI in the public sector, Infrastructure for industrial leadership positions, AI in the economy.
In March 2019, Belgium launched its national AI strategy, “AI 4 Belgium”. The strategy includes seven objectives for action: Policy support on ethics, regulation, skills and competences, Provide Belgian AI cartography, Co-animate Belgian AI community, Collect EU funding and connect EU ecosystems, Propose concrete action for training in AI, Contribute to the uptake of AI technologies by the industry, Make new products and services based on AI technologies emerge.
The Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC) of Brazil has launched a public consultation to define a national strategy for artificial intelligence (AI) which ended on January 31, 2020. The national AI strategy is envisioned to focus on several main themes: qualifications for a digital future; workforce; research, development, innovation, and entrepreneurship; government application of AI; and AI application in the productive sector and public safety.
The Brazilian government has also recently announced it will create a network of eight research facilities focused on artificial intelligence (AI).
Canada was the first country to release a national AI strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy announced in the 2017 federal budget, is a five-year, C$125 million plan to invest in AI research and talent. The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research leads the strategy in close partnership with the Canadian government and the three new AI Institutes: the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) in Edmonton, the Vector Institute in Toronto, and MILA in Montreal.
Chile is developing a National AI Policy. The Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation created a committee of ten experts to lead the effort, expected to be released April 2020. The plan will reportedly include three primary pillars: enabling factors (including human capital, fiber optic networks, and computing infrastructure); use and development of AI in Chile; and ethics, standards, security, and regulation.
China. 'New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Development Plan'
China announced its ambition to lead the world in AI in its July 2017 development plan, A Next Generation Artificial Intelligence. The plan is the most comprehensive of all national AI strategies, with initiatives and goals for R&D, industrialization, talent development, education and skills acquisition, standard setting and regulations, ethical norms, and security.
By 2030, the government aims to cultivate an AI industry worth 1 trillion RMB, with related industries worth 10 trillion RMB. In addition, the government has also partnered with national tech companies to develop research and industrial leadership in specific fields of AI and will build a $2.1 billion technology park for AI research in Beijing.
Colombia. 'National Policy for Digital Transformation'
The Government of Colombia issued the first draft of its National Policy for Digital Transformation as a starting point to boost Colombia as one of the leaders in the region in AI markets. The strategy focuses on the creation of an AI market lead by private entrepreneurs, where the Government’s role is more of a regulator, facilitator, and customer of these services.
The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Czech Republic was launched in May 2019 with the main objective to make the Czech Republic an innovation leader. The strategy seeks to; Concentrate research on developing responsible and trusted AI; Promote digital transformation, especially among SMEs and Enhance economic development and ensure equitable distribution of AI benefits.
Denmark’s March 2019 National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence has four key objectives, including that “Denmark should have a common ethical and human centred basis for [AI]” for all sectors, and that the “public sector should use artificial intelligence to offer world-class services”. Denmark’s goal is to become the leading European country in using data and AI for targeted public services, government organisations frameworks and systems for data-driven, responsible, and optimised development and use of AI.
In May 2019, Estonian Artificial Intelligence experts, led by government CIO Siim Sikkut, produced a document for accelerating the development of AI in Estonia. It was later presented to the government in June and adopted as the Estonian National AI Strategy in July 2019.
The “Kratts” strategy describes the rollout of a biannual action plan, and second a longer-term strategy building up on that base and evolving as AI implementation progresses. The strategy has four key pillars, Advancing the update of AI in the public sector, Advancing the uptake of AI in the private sector, Developing AI R&D and education, Developing a legal environment for the uptake of AI.
In May 2017, Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment created an Artificial Intelligence Programme and a Steering Group to develop a national vision for AI. The Steering Group issued two key reports, ‘Finland’s Age of Artificial Intelligence’ (December 2017) and ‘Leading the Way into the Age of Artificial Intelligence’ (June 2019) collectively setting out 11 key actions covering all sectors to help Finland achieve its ambitious goal.
France announced a €1.5 billion plan in 2018 to transform France into a global leader in AI. The plan draws heavily from the report, ‘For a Meaningful Artificial Intelligence: Towards a French and European Strategy’, in which Cédric Villani, France’s famed mathematician and Deputy for the Essonne, and the other members of the “Villani Mission” outlined a number of policies and initiatives for the government to consider.
The plan consists of four components: a network of five research institutes. an open data policy, a regulatory and financial framework and ethical regulations.
On November 15, 2018, the German Government adopted a national AI strategy and earmarked €3 billion for investment in AI research and development. The strategy is based on the Federal Cabinet’s Key Points for a Strategy on Artificial Intelligence, and was developed by the Economic Affairs Ministry, the Research Ministry, and the Labour Ministry.
In October 2018, the Hungarian government and a number of academic institutions and companies joined forces to create the Artificial Intelligence Coalition. The Coalition is working on developing a national strategy and positioning Hungary as a leader in AI, among other things.
In October 2019, Hungary announced an AI Action Plan, which may serve as one of the first pillars of a national AI strategy. A full strategy was released in 2020.
India’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence focuses on using technologies to ensure social growth, inclusion and positioning the country as a leader in AI on the global platform. Strategically, the government also seeks to establish India as an “AI Garage,” incubating AI that can be applicable to the rest of the developing world. NITI Aayog, the government think tank that wrote the report, calls this approach #AIforAll. The strategy, as a result, aims to (1) enhance and empower Indians with the skills to find quality jobs; (2) invest in research and sectors that can maximize economic growth and social impact; and (3) scale Indian-made AI solutions to the rest of the developing world.
The Indonesian government intends to announce a national strategy to develop artificial intelligence (AI) in 2020.
Separately, the Indonesia Artificial Intelligence Society (IAIS) inaugurated its establishment under the Smart Indonesia Initiative Association in October 2019. The IAIS was established with two main missions: to create an artificial intelligence (“AI”) roadmap for the country, and “to develop the competency of local AI and technological leadership with a focus on academic, business, and government.”
Ireland. 'AI Island'
Ireland’s Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is currently preparing a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy which was expected to be published by the end of 2019.
On 16 October 2019, Ireland published public consultation related to the strategy, welcoming “views on the key areas and issues that should be addressed by the strategy as well as the guiding principles that should drive the design, development and deployment of AI in Ireland”. The consultation closed on 7 November 201
Israel.
The Israel Innovation Authority (15), tasked with AI policies for the country, has warned that policies are needed to prevent the country falling behind. They acknowledge that Israel needs to implement policies to strengthen academic research, develop infrastructure, and to regulate the industry.
Italy. 'AI at the service of citizens'
In March 2018, AGID released a White Paper called “AI at the service of citizens,” which was edited by the AI Task Force. The paper was the result of a consultation with about a hundred public and private subjects who work with AI in various capacities in Italy. The paper includes recommendations about how to develop better public services with the use of AI that could help eliminate inequalities and measure impact. The paper also describes ethical, legal, technological, and cultural challenges.
Japan was the second country to develop a national AI strategy, after Canada. Society 5.0 was released in 2017 to create sustainable solutions for better human life in Japan. Japan’s AI policy, the Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy, was announced in March 2017. The March 2017 Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy.
In June 2018, the Japanese government announced that artificial intelligence would also become an official part of its “integrated innovation strategy.” The government hopes to “dramatically increase” young researchers in the AI field, in part by providing funds to priority fields. Another element of the strategy is to unify data formats and standards throughout various industries to enhance the ability to utilize big data techniques in Japan.
The Government of Kenya announced a task force in January 2018 to create a five-year strategy on national use of emerging technologies.
Areas of interest for the task force include the application of these technologies to public service delivery, cybersecurity, financial inclusion, and election processes. The task force will also provide milestones for 2027 and 2032 and situate the strategy in the areas of financial inclusion, cybersecurity, land tilting, election process, single digital identity, and overall public service delivery.
Lithuania
In April 2019, the government of Lithuania published Lithuanian Artificial Intelligence Strategy: A vision of the future in order to “modernize and expand the current AI ecosystem in Lithuania and ensure that the nation is ready for a future with AI.”
The strategy include several provisions that recognise the importance for AI in the public sector. In particular, it recognises that AI has unique advantages for the public sector and that it can be used to improve wellbeing. It states that AI can be used in the public sector for things such as crime prediction, developing better services for citizens, and improving internal government processes.
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In May 2019, the government of Luxembourg launched Artificial Intelligence: a strategic vision for Luxembourg. The document is to be seen as a living strategy that will be updated regularly. The strategy seeks to achieve three ambitions; To be among the most advanced digital societies in the world, especially in the EU, To become a data-driven and sustainable economy, and To support human-centric AI development.
In 2018, Malaysia revealed a National Artificial Intelligence Framework. The framework expands the National Big Data Analytics Framework, and is led by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Malaysia’s new government has not yet given an update on the National AI Framework.
Malta. malta.ai
The Government of Malta has launched the initiative Malta.AI in order to “transform the potential of Artificial Intelligence into a new contributor to Malta’s economic growth in digital innovation”.
As part of this initiative, the government formed an AI task force made up of entrepreneurs, academics and experts in the field to develop a national strategy. The final strategy, Malta the Ultimate AI Launchpad: A Strategy and Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Malta 2030 was issued in October 2019.
In June 2018, the government of Mexico published the report Towards an AI Strategy in Mexico: Harnessing the AI Revolution, serves as a foundation for building full AI strategy.
Public-private partnership AINED has started the process of developing a Dutch AI strategy. In November 2018, it published a roadmap for developing a full strategy, which also discussed the potential for AI in the Netherlands now and in the future. The roadmap focuses on building up AI talent, taking a human-centric approach to AI design and implementation, integrate ethics in AI frameworks, R&D investment, and balancing the role of man and machine. The AINED and the government are working on creating action plans for developing the AI strategy.
In May 2018, AI Forum of New Zealand, a cross-industry and independent organization released a report titled, “Artificial Intelligence: Shaping a Future New Zealand.” The report surveys the global AI landscape, examines the potential impact of AI on New Zealand’s economy and society, and concludes with a set of recommendations for policymakers.
In January 2020, Norway issued its National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence.
The strategy focuses on: 1) Building up expertise through education, research, and innovation, 2) Enabling Norway to adopt AI, including using AI in the public sector. 3) Exploiting commercial opportunities, including enablers such as regulation and data access. 4) Infrastructure and enabling technologies (e.g., 5G, high performance computing) and 5) Ethical guidelines, data protection, and security.
The Presidential Initiative for Artificial Intelligence launched December 2018, focused on training across Pakistan in AI and advanced technology.
Philippines
Nov 2019. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has tapped the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (ASITE) in order to start the process of crafting a roadmap, which will position the Philippines as an artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse in Southeast Asia.
Poland.
In November 2019, the Ministry of Digitization published Assumptions for the AI strategy in Poland as an action plan towards developing an AI strategy. It includes provisions for the management and opening of government data, participation of public sector companies in the development of AI projects.
In February 2019, the Portuguese government launched AI Portugal 2030, which seeks strengthen economic growth, scientific excellence, and human development using with AI. The strategy includes a number of focus areas, each with associated objectives and specific actions. These areas include the “public administration and its modernisation”. The overarching goal is to better inform public policies and decision-making processes, as well as to make public services more anticipatory.
Qatar.
Qatar’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy was announced in October 2019. The National AI Strategy is a blueprint produced by Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). The strategy aims to adopt the artificial intelligence and harness it to secure the economic and strategic future of Qatar as is envisaged by Qatar National Strategy 2030′
On 10 October 2019, Russia published its National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence by 2030. The goals of the strategy are to ensure the growth of welfare and quality of life, ensure national security and law and order, achieve sustainable competitiveness of the economy, including leading positions in the world in the field of AI.
The strategy outlines development and use of AI across sector, including education, healthcare, and government services.
AI Singapore is a five-year, S$150 million national program launched in May 2017 to enhance Singapore’s capabilities in AI. Its goals are to invest in the next wave of AI research, address major societal and economic challenges, and broaden adoption and use of AI within industry.
In June 2018, the government announced three new initiatives on AI governance and ethics. The new Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data will help the Government develop standards and governance frameworks for the ethics of AI.
King Salman issued a royal decree to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) center to enhance the drive toward innovation and digital transformation in Saudi Arabia in Sep 2019. The establishment of the center aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program. The Government of Saudi Arabia is now drafting a national AI strategy that aims to build an innovative and ethical AI ecosystem in the country by 2030.
South Africa does not have a specific AI strategy, however the “Intsimbi Future Production Technologies Initiative” launched in 2018 with the aim of advancing South Africa’s manufacturing sector does consider AI. The Intsimbi model aims to address the Digital Industrial Revolution or IR 4.0 and the challenge in technologies such as robotics and AI, nanotechnologies and quantum computing.
South Korea.
Korea has launched a five-year strategy with associated R&D investment funding totaling KRW 2.2 trillion (EUR 1.7 billion) in order to position itself as a leader in AI. The strategy has three objectives, securing AI talent, such through establishing training programs and AI graduate schools, developing AI technology, such as through funding major projects in health, public safety, and defense, investing in infrastructure, such as through creating AI semiconductors to enable things like autonomous vehicles.
In March 2019, the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities launched the RDI Strategy in Artificial Intelligence. It establishes six priorities and seven recommendations to align government to support progress in AI across sectors. The RDI Strategy is intended to serve as the initial “embryo” for developing a fuller National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence” in the future.
Sweden released the National Approach for Artificial Intelligence, in May 2018. Sweden is focused on using AI for competitiveness and welfare focusing on training more skilled AI-professionals, increasing basic and applied research in AI, and developing a legal framework to ensure the development of AI applications that are ethical, safe, reliable, and transparent.
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert group has published its recommendations for a Swiss AI strategy. They advocate a more intensive use of technology and the creation of national data platforms, the latter being an essential condition for efficient algorithms.
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry has drafted the country’s first artificial intelligence (AI) ethics guidelines.The draft is not final and further input is being gathered from public forums and focus groups.
The government has noted that the AI ethics guideline is part of raising competitiveness under the 20-year national strategy plan for 2018-37, which was developed by the national strategy committee.
Tunisia has created an AI Task Force and Steering Committee to develop a national AI strategy. The strategy is currently scheduled to be published in the first quarter of 2019. The primary goal will be to facilitate the emergence of an AI ecosystem that acts as a strong lever for equitable and sustainable development and job creation. The development of the strategy was officially launched in April 2018 during a workshop titled “National AI Strategy: Unlocking Tunisia’s capabilities potential” and hosted by the UNESCO Chair on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, in partnership with the National Agency for Scientific Research Promotion-ANPR.
UAE
The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, was announced in October 2017. The UAE became the first country in the world to create a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and first in the Middle East to launch an AI strategy. The strategy is the first initiative of the UAE Centennial 2071 Plan and its main objective is to enhance government performance and efficiency. The government will invest in AI technologies in nine sectors: transport, health, space, renewable energy, water, technology, education, environment, and traffic. In doing so, the government aims to diversify the economy, cut costs across the government and position the UAE as a global leader in the application of AI.
United Kingdom.
Ahead of the AI Sector Deal launch, the UK’s House of Lords’ Select Committee on AI published a, AI in the UK: ready, willing, and able? The report concluded a ten-month inquiry to examining the economic, ethical, and social implications of advances in AI and outlines a number of recommendations including calls to review the potential monopolization of data by technology companies, incentivize the development of new approaches to the auditing of datasets, and create a growth fund for UK SMEs working with AI. Major announcements also included over £950 million in funding, the expansion of the Alan Turing Institute, the creation of Turing Fellowships, and the launch of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
In February 2019, the United States launched the American AI Initiative, in the form of an executive order. This “whole-of-government strategy” aims at focusing federal government resources for investing in AI research, unleashing AI resources, setting AI governance standards, building the AI workforce and protecting the US AI advantage.
Following the American AI Initiative, the US issued the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan: 2019 Update calling for developing shared public datasets and environments for AI training and testing. The Initiative was also considered in the development of the US’s new Federal Data Strategy and associated Action Plan, which includes an action item to “improve data resources for AI research and development”.
On March 19, 2019, the US federal government launched AI.gov to make it easier to access all of the governmental AI initiatives currently underway.
The Ministry of Information and Communications recently noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly and gradually affirming that it is a pillar and breakthrough technology in the fourth industrial revolution. We expect an AI strategy through 2020.
