AI Readiness Tool Launches To Help Governments Accelerate Responsible AI Adoption

Bain & Company, working with the World Governments Summit, launches the AI Readiness Tool to help public sector organisations measure their artificial intelligence preparedness. The platform supports officials in understanding current capabilities, planning responsible AI adoption, and turning high-level ambition into measurable value for government operations and citizen services.

The initiative responds to a challenge highlighted by the MIT State of AI in Business 2025 Report, which finds that only 5 percent of deployed AI pilots scale successfully and generate clear returns. The main barrier is not vision, but the core capabilities needed to implement AI systems responsibly at scale.

The AI Readiness Tool guides government entities through a structured self-assessment of 34 focused questions that span the main areas of AI maturity. Once completed, the platform calculates an overall readiness score, provides granular diagnostics for each pillar, and suggests tailored next steps to close specific capability gaps.

Underlying the assessment is Bain & Company’s recent research on AI readiness, which organises organisational maturity into five dimensions: AI Strategy, Use Case Development and Deployment, Technology and Data, Talent and Capabilities, and Governance and Operating Model. The tool also benchmarks results against peers to give leaders context for their organisation’s current position.

Based on performance across the five dimensions, the AI Readiness Tool assigns organisations to one of four readiness levels: Strategic Shaper, Value Explorer, Early Explorer, or Foundation Builder. These levels offer a clear picture of progress, highlight priority areas for investment, and support more informed decisions on AI roadmaps and resource allocation.

Participants receive a detailed readiness scorecard, comparing their organisation with similar entities, together with a customised implementation roadmap that supports responsible and scalable AI adoption. "The AI Readiness Tool provides government leaders with a clear and practical way to understand where they stand on their AI journey," said Wissam Yassine, Partner at Bain & Company, and leader of the Bain Middle East Sustainability practice. "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."

The AI Readiness Tool is introduced during the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, held from 3rd to 5th February, underlining the region’s role in digital policy discussions. Bain & Company positions the platform as support for governments worldwide seeking operational excellence, innovation, and more citizen-centric services, and the tool is now available to public entities aiming for sustained AI impact.

With inputs from WAM