Where Does the Philippines Rank in AI Readiness?

Over the past years, the conversation has shifted to artificial intelligence (AI). From the emergence of generative AI to the regulation in the European Union and more, AI is here to stay, and with that comes more government responsibility to ensure that countries meet AI trends and standards.

Thanks to indexes like the Government AI Readiness Index prepared by Oxford Insights, we have a better snapshot of the state of AI in our countries. Unfortunately, the Philippines, as it turns out, dropped 11 places in the latest edition. The survey was based on government, technology, plus data and infrastructure. The study would look into factors like digital evolution and governance, as well as the AI startup scene and the like.

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Ranking 65th out of 193 countries, the Philippines scored 51.98 out of 100. It should nevertheless be noted that the global average is at 44.94. In the government area, the country had a score of 65.43. Meanwhile, technology and data and infrastructure each garnered 34.38 and 56.13 points, respectively.

Unfortunately for the Philippines, its AI readiness lags behind its Asia-Pacific neighbors. In the 2023 Asia Pacific Readiness Index, the nation obtained a total of 35.7 out of 100.

Digitalization in the Philippines has a long way to go, of course. But at the very least, businesses are better understanding the power of AI in the workforce. A separate study by Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn's 2024 Work Trend Index suggests that 86 percent of Filipino knowledge workers use AI at work, compared to the global and regional averages of 75 percent and 83 percent, respectively. AI was found to have saved employees about 30 minutes of daily work, as well.