A New Method Reveals Gaps in National AI Strategies

A new study presents a method that allows countries to track whether their national AI strategy is being implemented in practice or remains at the level of ceremonial speeches. The goal is to identify measurable factors, or indicators, and compare them to the concrete actions of the strategy.

The method consists of two parts. First, it maps out what kinds of indicators are generally used in national AI strategies. An indicator can be, for example, the number of research publications related to AI, the number of trained experts, or the level of public funding. Then, it examines how well these indicators correspond to the promised actions in an individual country's AI strategy.

The approach was tested on Brazil's national AI strategy. The comparison showed that indicators can be used to assess not only the monitoring of the strategy but also the quality of its structure. If the strategy's actions and selected metrics do not align, it creates an impression that some area is left invisible – for example, education, ethical issues, or regional equality.

This observation is important because AI policy is being developed in many countries at the same time, while practical impacts are difficult to assess. An indicator-based review can reveal the blind spots of the strategy at an early stage and force decision-makers to clarify their objectives.

According to the authors of the study, such systematic analysis helps to understand whether it is a coherent action plan or a collection of isolated initiatives. At the same time, it provides a model that other countries can apply to their own AI strategies.

Source: Identifying relevant indicators for monitoring a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, AI & SOCIETY.