波士顿咨询BCG2026AI成熟度矩阵AI重塑经济体发展与竞争模式

BCG

TheAIMaturityMatrix2026

AlIsTransformingHowEconomiesDevelopandCompete

October2026

AboutBostonConsultingGroup

BostonConsultingGroupbridgesthegapbetweenambitionandoutcomesfortheworld’sleadingcompaniesand

organizations.Wearebuiltforthiseraofunprecedented

change—bringingstrategicclarityrootedinover60yearsofdeepdomainknowledge,combinedwithappliedAIshapedbyourpractitioners.BCGworksshoulder-to-shoulderwithCEOsacrossindustriesandgeographiestodelivertransformative

impactatscale:strongerreturns,transferredcapabilities,

andchangethatsticks.Formoreinformation,visit.

TableofContents

04Introduction

07AIReadinessIsImprovingEverywhere,butNotattheSameSpeed

09Exposure:WhichSectorsandJobsDoesAIActuallyReach?

11Readiness:HowFastCananEconomyTurnCapabilityintoValue?

15WheretoBegin?

19WhichStrategicPlaysAreOpenfromHere?

21Conclusion

23OurMethodology

26AbouttheAuthors

Introduction

Alisnowaproveneconomicforce.EnterpriseinvestmentinALdoubledin2026fromthepreviousyear,¹andthatgrowthtoucheseveryindustry.The

investmentisalsostartingtopayoff.

InarecentBCGsurvey,nearlynineintenCEOsreportedcostorrevenuebenefitsresultingfromtheirAlinvestment.ThisisanearlyindicatoroftheshiftinAlfrompotentialtoactual

valuecreation.Businessleadersaretakingnotewith94%sayingtheirorganizationswillcontinuetheirAlinvestmentevenifitdoesn'tpayoffin2026.

Thequestionnowfacingeconomiesaroundtheworldis

nolongerwhetherAlwillaffectthem,buthow?Also,whoispositionedtocaptureitsvalue?Theanswersdependon

fourfactors:

·AI'sdisruptionpotentialforacountry'skeyeconomicsectorsandexistinglabormarket.

·HowquicklyaneconomycanconvertAlcapabilityintodeployedvalue.

itseconomy.

·Acountry'sstrategicoptionsgiventhecurrentmakeupof

·Aneconomy'sabilitytoadapttobroadeconomic,social,andenvironmentalchanges.

1.Asapercentageoffirmrevenue.

BOSTONCONSULTINGGROUP

KEYCONCEPTS

ThefollowingarethedimensionsoftheAIMaturityMatrix:

ReadinessassesseshowpreparedaneconomyistocaptureAI’sopportunities.BCGmeasures

readinessacrosssixdimensionsusingthe

ASPIREframework:Ambition,Skills,Policyandregulation,Investment,Researchandinnovation,andEcosystem.

ExposureestimatesAI’s“disruptionpotential”

basedoneconomicstructure.Ourassessment

appliesaglobalsector-levelAIexposurefactorto

theeconomy’sGDPsectoralcomposition.Becauseshiftsineconomicstructuresaregradual,exposuremovesmoreslowlythanreadiness.

EXHIBIT1

ASPIREMeasuresanEconomy’sReadinessAcrossSixDimensions

A

Ambition

ExistenceandrecencyofAIstrategyincludingrevisions

ExistenceofspecializedAIgovernment

agency/ministry

S

Skills

NumberofAI-relatedspecialists(shareofpopulation)

Totalpublic

contributionsinGitHubbytop1000users

KaggleGrandmasters

NumberofPythonpackagedownloads(shareofpopulation)

I

Investment

R

Researchandinnovation

ResearchpaperspublishedinAI

AI-relatedpatents

Numberoftop-rankeduniversitiesindata

science&AI

ValueofAI-unicorns

TotalfundingofAIcompanies

OverallVCinvestments

MarketcapofIT&

tech-relatedcompanies(shareofGDP)

Computersoftware

spending(shareofGDP)

ValueoftradeinICTservices(percapita)

ValueoftradeinICTgoods(percapita)

DomesticAImodeldevelopment

NumberofAIstartups

P

Policyandregulation

Overallregulatoryquality

Overallgovernanceeffectiveness

Overalldatagovernance

OverarchingnationalAIlegislation

Newindicatorsaddedfor2026Matrix

E

Ecosystem

Numberofdatacenters

AIcomputecapacity

Accessiblenational

supercomputercapacity

Publiccloudspendpertechemployee

Adoptionofemerging

technologiesbycompanies

Fixedbroadbandinternettrafficpercapita

Accesstolow-costelectricity

Telecommunication

infrastructureindexscore

AveragedownloadspeedPerformanceofnationalstatisticalsystems

BCG’s2026AIMaturityMatrixassessesmorethan75

economiesontwokeydimensions—aneconomy’sAIexposureandAIreadiness—across33indicators,withthreenew

indicatorsoncompute,domesticmodeldevelopment,and

regulationaddedtoouranalysisthisyear.Wesupplement

thosefindingswithstrategicanalysisofstepsgovernmentshavetaken—andcantake—toimprovetheirreadiness,basedon

theirexposure.(Seethesidebar,“KeyConcepts.”)

Aneconomy’sAIexposureislargelydeterminedbythepotentialforautomationandreinventionofitskeysectorsandtheimpactonjobsinthosesectors.Today,exposureisconcentratedin

knowledgework,butthatexposurewillbroadenasphysicalAIandagenticsystemsadvance.Infact,ashifttowarddisruptionofthephysicaleconomyisalreadyunderwayasembodiedAI

(physicalAIthatoperatesmachines,robots,andvehicles)growsincapabilityandscales.

Readiness,theMatrix’ssecondmeasure,assesseshow

preparedaneconomyistocaptureAIopportunities.ReadinessismeasuredacrosssixdimensionsusingtheASPIREframework,BCG’sflagshipnationalAIpreparationassessment.TheASPIREframeworkrepresentsacountry’sAmbition,Skills,Policyand

regulation,Investment,Researchandinnovation,andEcosystem.(SeeExhibit1.)

Sources:BCGCenterforDigitalGovernment;BCGCenterforPublicEconomics;BCGanalysis.

Note:ICT=informationandcommunicationstechnology.

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX20265

6BOSTONCONSULTINGGROUP

TheMatrixallowsustoassessaneconomy’sAImaturity—

definedbyitsexposureandreadiness—andarticulateitina

singlevisual.TheYaxistracksaneconomy’sAIexposure,fromlowtohigh,andtheXaxisdemarcatesaneconomy’sAI

readiness(oritsprogressthroughtheASPIREstages).Withintheoverallmatrix,weclassifiedindividualeconomies’

exposureandreadinessintooneofsixarchetypesof

economies.Theseare(fromhighestreadinesstolowest,withsubgroupingbasedonexposure):AIPioneers,Contenders

(SteadyandRising),Practitioners(ExposedandGradual),andAIEmergents.(SeeExhibit2.)

EXHIBIT2

LowEXPOSUREHigh

EightEconomiesChangedReadinessArchetypeSince2024,andJapanandSouthKoreaReachedtheTopTier

AIemergents

AIpractitioners

AIcontenders

AIpioneers

Algeria

Angola

Congo(DR)Ethiopia

Iraq

RwandaVenezuela

Exposedpractitioners

Steadycontenders

Established

Canada

MainlandChina

SingaporeUKUSA

Entrants

AustraliaAustria

BelgiumBrazil

CzechRepublic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

FranceGermany

MalaysiaNetherlands

Norway

Portugal

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Greece

HongKong

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Luxembourg

BahrainBulgariaCroatiaCyprusHungary

Kuwait

Latvia

Malta

RomaniaSlovenia

Japan

Gradualpractitioners

Risingcontenders

SouthKorea

Readiness

dimensionarchetypemovers

Argentina

Colombia

DominicanRep.

KenyaMexicoMorocco

SlovakRep.

SouthAfrica

Thailand

Tunisia

Ukraine

Uruguay

Chile

Poland

SaudiArabia

Turkey

UAE

Vietnam

India

Indonesia

Lithuania

Ecuador

Nigeria

NewZealand

EgyptIran

Oman

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Qatar

Bottom10%READINESSTop10%

Archetypebandsaredefinedbyreadinessandexposurepercentiles.Asthenumberofeconomiescoveredinthematrixsince2024increasedto79,thenumberofeconomieswithineachpercentilebandscalesaccordingly.

Source:BCGanalysis.

Note:Economiesnamedwithineacharchetypearelistedinalphabeticalorder,notorderofpriority.

AIReadinessIsImprovingEverywhere,butNotattheSameSpeed

InthetwoyearssinceBCG

compiledthefirstAIMaturity

Matrix,mosteconomieshave

mademeaningfulprogressintheirAlreadiness,leadingtohigher

scoresacrossthestudy.

NearlyeveryeconomyprogressedinatleastoneASPIRE

dimensionin2026,andeightmoveduptoamoreadvancedreadinessarchetype:Japan,SouthKorea,Greece,theCzechRepublic,Chile,Lithuania,Ecuador,andNigeria.

Agovernment'scapacitytofacilitateAldevelopmentisakey

driverofarchetypeimprovement.Amongleadingeconomies,JapanandSouthKoreajoinedtheAIPioneersasanentrant

(alongsideestablishedpioneersCanada,MainlandChina,

Singapore,theUnitedKingdom,andtheUnitedStates).JapanleverageditsabilitytoattractpartnersandanAl-friendly

regulatoryframeworktobuildupitsecosystem.Japanwasabletosecurelargehyperscalercommitments,includingAnthropic'sfirstAsianofficeandnationalpublicandprivateinvestmentsindatacentersandcompute.SouthKoreahasshownleadershipindomesticmodeldevelopment,rankinginthetopfivegloballyfornotablemodelsintheStanfordInstituteforHuman-

CenteredAI's2026AlIndex.Thecountryhasalsodirected

large-scalepublicinvestmentindevelopingitsecosystemandbuildingupcompute.

Inthe2026Matrix,Alambitionisnolongerenoughto

differentiateaneconomy.NearlyeveryeconomynowhasapublishedAlstrategy,andwhatdifferentiatestheeconomiesthatmadethemostprogressontheMatrixisthescaleandspeedatwhichtheircapabilitywasbuiltup.(Seethesidebar,

“FiveAlReadinessSignalsLeadersShouldBeTracking.”)

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX2026

BOSTONCONSULTINGGROUP

FIVEAIREADINESSSIGNALSLEADERSSHOULDBETRACKING

1

PermittingVelocity.Howlongdorequired

governmentapprovalstaketogreenlightanAlfacility,andhowlonguntilthefacilityisupandrunning?Wherepermittingisfast,itisa

reliablesignalofbothintentandcapacity.

2

DeployedSovereignCapital.Themeaningfulsignaliscapitalthathasclearedtreasury

approval,reachedanimplementingagency,andbeentiedtospecificinfrastructuretargets.

HyperscalerActivation.Hyperscalers

conductexhaustiveduediligencebefore

committingcapitalatscale,including

assessmentsofpolicystability,energy

availability,andregulatoryclarity.Wherehyperscalershavedeployed,theinvestmentenvironmenthasbeenstress-testedbyanentitywithcapitalatrisk.

EnergyPricingandGridAccess.Al

infrastructureis,atitscore,anenergy

business.Electricitypricedwellbelow

industrialaveragesisastructuraladvantagethatcompoundsacrossadatacenter's

operatinglife,whichisthepositionofmuchoftheGulfStates.Renewableenergyavailabilityisrisinginimportanceasacostconstraint,aswellassocialandenvironmentalconstraints.

RegulatoryPosition.Economiesthathavemadeexplicit,publicdecisionsaboutwhichlayersofthestacktheywillgovernathome

andwhichtheywillsourcefrompartnersfacelessregulatoryuncertainty.Japan'sframeworklegislation,writtenwiththeexplicitgoalof

makingthecountrytheworld'smostAl-friendlyenvironment,isapolicysignalasmuchasalegalinstrument.

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX2026

Exposure:WhichSectorsandJobsDoesAIActuallyReach?

Thisyear'sAIMaturityMatrix

offersamoresophisticatedlookattheextentofAI'sreachtoday.Whiletask-levelanalysisdeepensourunderstandingofautomationpotential,exposureanditsimpactareexpectedtoevolvewithAI'sgrowingcapabilities.

Exposureisnowmeasuredatthetasklevel.Alexposure,ortheautomationoftasksandtheredesignofjobs,inkey

economicsectorsismeasurableatagranularlevel.Whatwastheoreticaltwoyearsago,intermsofjobexposure,isnow

quantifiable.Enterprisedata,hiringpatterns,andcapitalflowsnowshowwhereAlisalreadyreshapingwork,whiletheriseofagenticAl(systemsthatcarryoutmultisteptasksinsteadofassistingwithjustasingletask)haswidenedthescopeofjobs

thatAlcanreshape.TheBCGInstitute'smodelingsuggeststhatroughlyhalfofUSjobscouldbemeaningfullyredesignedoverthenexttwotothreeyears,witharoundoneintenatriskofdisplacementoveralongerhorizon.Apotentialtransitiononthatscaleisemergingasanationalpolicyprioritythatcouldrequireactivemanagementbygovernments.(SeeExhibit3.)

Exposureisconcentratedinknowledgeworktoday,but

physicalAlisgrowing.Fornow,exposureisgreatestwhereAlismostcapable:languageandcode.AsembodiedAladvancesandscalesacrosshumanoidroboticsandindustrialautomation,morephysicalindustries,likemanufacturing,logistics,andagriculture,areexpectedtoincreaseinexposure.MainlandChinaispairingthelargestshareofglobalrobotinstallationswithanexplicit

nationaltargettomassdeployhumanoidrobots.ThetwoAl

frontiers,digitalandphysical,rewarddifferentattributesandwillhavedifferentworkforceimpact:digitalleadershiphasbeenbuiltlargelyonmodelscaleandresearchdepth,whileemerging

leadersinphysicalAlhaveanestablishedindustrialbase.JapanandMainlandChinahavefocusedtheirambitionsonthisshift.JapanhasconcentrateditsfrontierambitionsonphysicalAlandinvestingresourcesinindustrialrobotics.MainlandChinais

usingitsleadershipinglobalrobotinstallationstopropelatransitiontohumanoidrobotics.

EXHIBIT3

ExposureIsHighestinInformation,FinancialServices,andHighTech,andLowestinthePrimaryNontechSectors

Sector

Overall

exposuretoAI

Automation

potentialanalysisbyBCGInstitute

AImentionsin

publiccompanies’earningscalls

AI-specific

LinkedInjobpostings

Informationandcommunication

Financialservices

High-techgoods

Retailandwholesale

Publicservices

Businessservices

Energyandutilities

Othermanufacturing

Personalandconsumerservices

Transportandlogistics

Construction

Lightmanufacturingandconsumergoods

Primarysectors

HighexposureLimitedexposure

Sources:BCGInstitute;BCGanalysis.

Note:Primarysectorsincludeagriculture,nonmetallicminerals,metals,mining.Personal&consumerservicesincludeaccommodationandcatering,arts,recreation,unions,andpersonalservices.

Businessleaders’workforcestrategychoiceisbetweenaugmentationandsubstitution—andnationalpolicy

follows.AsbusinessesindifferentindustriesadoptAIand

respondtoitsimpactontheirsector,they’rechoosingbetweenaugmentationoftheirworkforce—redesigningrolestoenable

peopletocollaboratewithAI—andsubstitutionoftheir

workforce,whereAIaloneperformstaskspreviouslyperformedbypeople.Thesetwoapproaches,atscale,haveameaningfulimpactonnotjustthenumberofjobsavailable,butalsothe

economicvalueofthesejobs.Governmentneedstohelp

businessonupskillingastheynavigatethisterrainInIndia,

whichhasbenefittedfromhighlyskilledandAItalentinflowsofreturningnonresidentIndiansfromtheUS,UK,UAE,and

Canada,thegovernmenthaslaunchedamultifacetedapproachincludingYuvaAIforALL,afreefoundationalAIcourse,that

aimstoupskill10millionofitscitizens.Thegovernmentalso

establishedtargetedprograms,likeIndiaAIFuturesSkills,tosetupAIlabsinsmallercities,providingprofessionalcertificationsaimedatdemocratizingaccesstoAIeducationnationwideandbuildingapipelineofAI-skilledprofessionals.

LowerexistingAIexposurestillleavesroomforsector

spillover.ThestrategyisthatAIdeployedatscaleinananchorindustryincreasescapabilityintheengineering,logistics,and

servicesupplierscurrentlybuiltaroundthatanchorsector.SaudiArabia,forexample,isalreadylookingtomaximizespilloverinitsenergysector.InRwandaandEthiopia,andacrossAfricaineconomieswhereagricultureremainsadominantGDP

contributor,AI-poweredagriculturaltechnologycanlift

productivityandgeneratespilloverintoadjacentindustries.

10BOSTONCONSULTINGGROUP

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX2026

Readiness:HowFastCan

anEconomyTurnCapability

intoValue?

In2026,readinessisalmost

entirelydeterminedbythespeedwithwhichanationcanactonAlexposure.

Howfastthecountrycanconvertitscurrentexposure

intoworkingcapabilitydetermineshowmuchofthis

potentialitfulills.(SeeExhibit4)BelowwelookatallsixASPIREdimensionsandhowtheyaffectthereadinessofspecificcountries.

EXHIBIT4

12BOSTONCONSULTINGGROUP

AmbitionSettingIsNearUniversal,OperationalizationIsNot

SCORE(EACHCOLUMNSCALEDTOITSOWNMAX)

100

59

45

28

15

0

Total

TotalASPIRE

10

9

8

8

4

0

A

Ambition

25

13

8

4

1

0

S

Skills

10

8

8

5

3

0

P

Policyandregulation

15

5

3

2

1

0

I

Investment

15

10

5

2

1

0

R

Researchandinnovation

25

0

E

Ecosystem

17

13

8

3

Archetype:AIpioneersAIcontendersAIpractitionersAIemergents

Sources:BCGCenterforPublicEconomics;BCGanalysis.

Ambition.Nowthatnearlyeveryeconomyassessedhas

publishedanAIstrategy,whatseparatesleadersiswhethertheyimplementthatstrategyandrefineit.Japan,SaudiArabia,SouthKorea,andtheUAEeachmovedfromAIstrategycommitmenttoworkingcapability.

Skills.Becausetalenttakesyearstobuild,thelabormarket

hassplitintoacontestforAI-nativetalentandinitiativesto

retrainandretoolthelargerworkforce.Atthetop,competitiontightenedsharplyforAI-nativetalent,definedaspeoplewho

enteredtheworkforcealreadyfluentinthesetoolsandwho

usethembydefault.Belowthattierofworkers,thewider

workforceneedssustainedretoolingtoremaincentraltohowvalueiscreated.WinningthetoptierofAI-nativeprofessionalshasbecomeharder.Thatisbecausethepoolofhighlyskilledprofessionalsisshrinking:cross-borderrelocationofAItalentfell12%in2025,increasingthecompetitionforaneven

smallerhiringpopulation.BCG’sGlobalTalenttrackerprovidesadetailedanalysisofAItalentattractionandretentiononaglobalscale.

Policy.Countriesnowusepolicytoattractinvestmentasmuchastoconstrainrisk.In2026,weseebothminimal-constraint

regimes,whichcompeteoninnovation-friendliness,and

oversight-basedregimes,whichcompeteonestablishingtrustintheirAIapproach.

Amongtheregimesfavoringopenness,theUSremoved

regulatoryconstraintstoboostcompetitionforcapitaland

compute.JapanhasestablishedlegislationwithoutfinancialpenaltiesasamovetowardAI-friendliness.

Attheotherendofthespectrum,SouthKoreahasa

promotion-orientedframeworkthatcarriesbindingobligations.Regardlessofstringency,establishingaregulatoryposition

providesinvestorstherequiredclarityandstabilityforlong-terminvestmentattraction.

Thedistinctionbetweenthetwoapproachesisfading,

however,asresponsible-AIprovisionscoveringtransparency,

redress,andhumanoversightinhigh-stakesusecasesbecomeaconditionofsustainedadoptionacrossthespectrum,

includinginthemoreopenregimes.

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX2026

Investment.EconomieshavepursuedthreeinvestmentmodelsthatdeterminehowmuchAlcapabilitytheyareabletocontrol.

·Concentratedsovereigncapitaloffersthemostdirectroutetoscalebutrequiresstrongfiscalcapacityand

disciplinedexecution.SouthKoreahastakenthisroute,withanationalcomputetargetandstateprocurementcontributingtomeetthattarget.

·Bilateralandmultilateralcountrypartnerships

spreadbothcostandcapability,butdependon

intergovernmentalcoordinationthatoftenslowsdownwhennationalinterestsdiverge.ThisisthetradeoffthatispartofEurope'spooledcomputeprograms.

·Hyperscalerpartnerships(theagreementswiththe

handfulofglobalcompaniesthatruncomputingat

enormousscale)delivercapabilityfastestandintegrate

acrosseachoftheapproacheslistedabove.Thelargestofthesecommitmentsruntensofbillionsofdollarsinasinglecountry.(Seethesidebar,"AISovereigntyIsaNational

PortfolioChoice.")

AISOVEREIGNTYISANATIONALPORTFOLIOCHOICE

Alsovereigntyhasmovedfrombeinganabstractconcepttobecomingapolicypriorityforindividualnations.Sovereigntyhasfourcomponents(chips,computeandcloud,models,andapplications),

andowningallfourisexceedinglyrare.Itis

thereforebestreadasachoiceaboutwhich

dependenciestohold.Foreveryeconomyshortoffull-stackautonomy,hyperscalerandfrontier-

vendorintegrationistheconsistentenablinglayer,whichevercapitalmodelitchooses.

ResearchandInnovation.OutsidetheAlPioneertier,

researchfocushasshiftedfromproducingfrontiercapabilitytoabsorbingitandadaptingitlocally.Frontiermodels(the

largestandmostcapablesystems,attheleadingedgeofwhatthetechnologycando)remainhighlyconcentratedintheUSandMainlandChina.AsAIPioneer-tierresearchbudgets

remainlargelyoutofreachformostothereconomies,a

credibleapproachcanbefoundamongthefollowingoptions:

·Openlypublishedmodelsarereleasedwiththeir

parameterssotheycanbeadaptedlocallyinsteadofonlyaccessedasaserviceTheseopenmodelshavehelped

localizefrontiercapability.NigeriaandIndonesiabothusedthisroutetobuildmodelsintheirownlanguages.

·Regionalresearchconsortiapooldevelopmentcapabilities,astheEuropeanUnionhasdone.

·Sovereign-fundpartnershipscangiveeconomiesaseatatthefrontier-labtable,aroutetheGulfStateshavetakentosecureearlyvisibilityoffrontierdevelopment.

Ecosystem.TheconstraintsonwhereAlcapacitygetsbuilt

arenowphysical.Poweravailability,permittingspeed,and

interconnectionabilityarewhatdecideplacementofAl

facilities.Inthiscase,Alinfrastructuremeanschips,computeandcloud,plustheelectricityandconnectivitythatmakethemusable.PhysicalAlinfrastructureis,forthetimebeing,as

importantassoftwareortalentadvantages.

PermittingandconnectionspeedhaveemergedaskeyenablersforAldeploymentatscale.TheUSfast-trackedAldatacentersandpresseditsenergyregulatortospeedupgrid-connection

review.Planningconsent,gridconnection,contractingwithpowercompanies,andobtainingconnectivityprovisioningoperateontheirowntimetablewithinaneconomy.Theeconomiesthatarecurrentlymovingfastestarethosethathavereducedthetimeittakestocompleteallfour,ratherthanspeedingupanyonepartofthedeploymentprocess.

Theecosystemisthereforeagaugeofinstitutionalagility,notjustameasureofinstalledinfrastructure.Partnershipselectionispartofthatequation,asthesuppliersofthephysicallayers(hyperscalers,chipvendors,andgridoperators)alsocontractontheirowntimetables.

Today'secosystemleadersaretheUS,Singapore,Japan,andSouthKorea.Economieswithexistingstructuraladvantagesinenergy,geography,orregulatoryspeedareoftensuccessfulinbuildingtheirAlecosystem.Examplesofstructuraladvantagesare:Lithuania'spermittingreform;Greece'sunderseafiber

opticcablesservingtheMiddleEast,NorthAfrica,andAsia;theUnitedKingdom'sdesignatedAlGrowthZones;andtheGulfStates'accesstocheapelectricity.

Nearlyeveryeconomynow

hasapublishedAIstrategy,

andwhatdifferentiatesthe

economiesthatmadethemostprogressontheMatrixisthescaleandspeedatwhichtheircapabilitywasbuiltup.

WheretoBegin?

GovernmentscanbegintheirAl

journeybydeterminingboththe

riskoftheirexposureandtheirreadinesstoact.

Together,exposureandreadinessindicatewhereona

spectrumofoursixarchetypesaparticulareconomystands,

whichinturndetermineswhichrouteisopentoit.(SeeExhibit

5.)Today,nearlyeverycountryhasanAlplan,whichiswhy

execution,ratherthanintent,isthekeyvariableinthisyear's

AIMaturityMatrix.

Thedescriptionsofoursixarchetypesbelowcanhelp

determinewhereaneconomycurrentlystandsandwhat

optionsforAldevelopmentareopentoit.

THEAIMATURITYMATRIX2026

EXHIBIT5

LowEXPOSUREHigh

SixArchetypesEmerge,BasedonReadinessandExposurePositions

Exposedpractitioners

EconomieswithrelativelyhighexposuretoAIandroomto

increasereadiness

extremelyhighreadiness

Established

pioneersarethosethatwerepioneersintheprevious

editionaswell,

whileentrantsarethoseeconomiesachievingpioneerstatusthisyear.

Risingcontenders

Economieswithrelativelylowdisruptionexpected

fromAIandhighreadinessforitsadoption

Steadycontenders

EconomieswithrelativelyhighexposuretoAIand

highlevelsofreadinessforitsadoption

Gradualpractitioners

Economieswithrelatively

lowdisruptionexpectedfromAIandreadinessstillbuilding

AIemergents

Economieswith

lowreadinessanddifferentlevelsofexposuretoAI

AIpioneers

Economiesabletomeethighlevelsofexposurewith

Bottom10%READINESSTop10%

Sources:BCGCenterforPublicEconomics;BCGanalysis.

AIPioneers

(Canada,MainlandChina,Japan,Singapore,SouthKorea,theUnitedKingdom,theUnitedStates)

AIPioneersaredifferentiatedfromothereconomiesprimarilybyhowdeeplyandwidelytheyhavedevelopedAIintheir

economies.PioneersoperateatthefrontieracrossmostlayersoftheAIstackbuthavemadedeliberatechoicesaboutwheretogovernathomeandwheretosourcethroughpartnershiporprocurement.The2026entrantpioneers,JapanandSouth

Korea,closedthegapbypassingcomprehensiveAIlegislationdeployingsovereigncapitalatspeed,andscalingdomestic

compute.(Seethesidebar,“HowJapanJoinedthePioneers.”)

•Singaporebalancesmanageddependence,sourcing

frontiercomputeandmodelsexternally,whileexcellingin

ecosystemdevelopment.RatherthanfocusonfrontierR&D,Singaporemadeapragmaticchoicetoaimresourceson

AIadoptionandabsor