What is Global AI Index? It is a ranking of countries based on their level of investment, innovation, and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI). The index aims to make sense of AI in 62 countries that have chosen to invest in it.
The index is compiled using a diverse set of 28 data sources, including government reports, public databases from international organizations, think tanks, and private companies. These sources are used to assess national ecosystems and evaluate the capacity for AI.
The Global AI Index is produced by Tortoise Media, and it is updated annually. According to reports, Malaysia has been ranked 44th in the Global AI Index, falling behind Singapore, which secured a spot in the top three.
The United States claimed the top position, achieving a perfect score of 100. The country has made significant advancements in generating AI talent, establishing infrastructure, and investing in research and development.
When asked about Malaysia’s current rank in the field of AI compared to the U.S or Singapore, Asia School Of Business Professor Sanjay Sarma said, “AI, particularly Large language Models, should be thought of more like nuclear engineering than a software effort. The sheer size of the data sets, the hardware involved and the theoretical prowess required, all favor large companies and nations with infrastructure built over the years. It takes a national effort to catch up. In countries such as the US, a lot of money has been poured in. In China, companies have been working on it for a long time. India is now contemplating a national effort.”
“Countries like USA and Canada have a long history of investment in AI research, and even Singapore’s Schools, the NUS / NTU are well known in the global mind space. To play catchup, in the longer term, requires a systemic investment in AI-focused education,” said Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Assistant Professor Pulkit Agrawal.
He added that in the shorter term, workshops not just with academic experts but also with companies and startups in this space can help. Many countries have had a nation-level AI initiative, something that Malaysia could contemplate as well.
The main idea here would be to get several stakeholders within the country to talk with each other to identify where the country can benefit the most and find a niche where the country could take a leadership position while ensuring there is enough investment in education and incubation and funds supporting AI companies, which have different demands than other companies.
According to the Global AI Index, China secured the second position with a score of 61.5, while Singapore came in third with a score of 50. Singapore excelled in various indicators, particularly in infrastructure and government strategy, where it scored over 80 points. The report highlighted Singapore’s notable progress driven by government initiatives to promote AI research, innovation, and human capital.
In contrast, Malaysia obtained an overall score of 19.6. It scored highest in the operating environment category with 72.2 points, followed by infrastructure with 65.3 points. However, Malaysia received low scores in talent, research, development, and commercial aspects. The Global AI Index also awarded Malaysia 48.1 points for its government strategy.
