AI Readiness Tool helps public sector organisations benchmark and accelerate AI adoption
The World Government Summit and Bain & Company have joined forces to launch a new tool designed to help public sector organisations assess their readiness to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI. The AI Readiness Tool aims to serve as both a benchmark and a practical guide for governments seeking to deploy AI at scale.
The backdrop to the launch has been building for some time. Interest in AI is surging and global spending on the technology is racing towards record highs – yet this momentum is unfolding amid question marks around returns on investment and the ability to scale AI initiatives from pilot projects to full-scale deployment. While the value potential of AI is no longer in doubt, realising that value remains notoriously difficult.
Research published last year by MIT underscores the challenge, suggesting that only around 5% of AI pilots successfully scale and deliver measurable returns. In the Middle East, studies point to a more optimistic picture, with adoption rates accelerating rapidly. However, beneath the surface, many organisations continue to grapple with familiar obstacles around ROI, governance and scaling.
AI Readiness Tool
Set against this context, the AI Readiness Tool has been developed by the World Government Summit (a Dubai-based think tank) and Bain & Company (a strategy consulting firm and global partner of OpenAI). The tool is designed to help public sector organisations overcome these challenges and maximise the value of their AI investments through benchmarking, insights and targeted action planning.
“The AI Readiness Tool provides public sector leaders with a clear and practical way to understand where they stand on their AI journey,” said Wissam Yassine, Partner at Bain & Company. “By offering targeted insights across key dimensions, the tool helps organisations focus on the capabilities that matter most to unlock AI’s full potential and improve government services and outcomes.”
Built on Bain & Company’s own AI research database, the tool assesses organisational maturity across five core dimensions: AI Strategy; Use Case Development and Deployment; Technology and Data; Talent and Capabilities; and Governance and Operating Model.
Participating organisations complete a 34-question assessment spanning these five areas. Based on the results, the tool generates an overall AI readiness score, detailed diagnostic insights by dimension, and tailored recommendations to help close capability gaps and accelerate progress along the AI journey.
“The AI Readiness Tool provides a clear view of progress while highlighting priority areas for capability development,” Yassine added. “By combining benchmarking, diagnostics and actionable guidance, the tool enables leaders to prioritise investments, strengthen governance and make informed decisions with confidence.”
The AI Readiness Tool is available at no cost to public sector organisations on the website of the World Government Summit.
The partnership
The co-development of the AI Readiness Tool forms part of a broader collaboration between the World Government Summit and Bain & Company. The US-headquartered strategy consultancy has been a long-standing knowledge partner of the think tank, with the two organisations collaborating on research, insight sharing and advisory initiatives across a range of conferences and initiatives.
