Bain, WGS unveil platform to assess government AI adoption
New platform assesses maturity across five core capability dimensions
#UnitedArabEmirates #digitalttransformation – Global consulting firm Bain & Company, in collaboration with the World Governments Summit, has launched the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool. The new platform helps government entities assess their preparedness for artificial intelligence and identify practical actions to accelerate adoption and impact. The tool addresses challenges highlighted by the MIT State of AI in Business 2025 Report, which shows that only 5 percent of deployed AI pilots successfully scale and deliver measurable returns. Government entities can complete a structured assessment comprising 34 targeted questions across five dimensions: AI Strategy, Use Case Development and Deployment, Technology and Data, Talent and Capabilities, and Governance and Operating Model.
SO WHAT? – Bain & Company and World Governments Summit aim to address a critical gap between government AI ambition and execution capability. The Public Sector AI Readiness Tool provides a structured methodology to move beyond experimentation toward scalable deployment at a time when public sector organisations globally struggle to translate pilots into operational systems. The launch of the tool aligns closely with the UAE government’s AI strategy, which takes a holistic view of AI strategy and implementation. It is hopes that the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool allow help other governments identify obvious challenges and so help unlock AI’s full potential and improve government services and outcomes.
Here are some key points about the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool :
Bain & Company, in collaboration with Dubai-based World Governments Summit, have announced the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool, a platform designed to help government entities assess AI preparedness and identify practical actions to accelerate adoption. The tool was launched during the World Government Summit 2026 in Dubai.
The 34-question online 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.
Based on performance across pillars, the tool classifies organisations into four AI readiness levels: Strategic Shaper, Value Explorer, Early Explorer and Foundation Builder, providing clear progress views and highlighting priority capability development areas.
According to the MIT State of AI in Business 2025 Report, only 5 percent of deployed AI pilots successfully scale and deliver measurable returns, with primary challenges lying in foundational capabilities required to deploy AI responsibly at scale rather than ambition.
The Public Sector AI Readiness Tool generates overall AI readiness scores, detailed diagnostic insights by pillar and tailored recommendations to help close gaps and accelerate progress, enabling leaders to prioritise investments and strengthen governance.
The online tool provides government entities with a detailed readiness scorecard benchmarking their organisation against peers, alongside customised roadmaps to support responsible, scalable AI adoption with targeted insights across key dimensions
The World Governments Summit is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to shaping the future of governments, with the 2026 edition taking place 1-5 February in Dubai exploring innovation and technology solutions to humanity’s universal challenges.
ZOOM OUT – Last month, the UAE government released a whitepaper titled "The UAE: Shaping the Future of Regulatory Intelligence" at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Developed by the General Secretariat of the UAE Cabinet in collaboration with Abu Dhabi-listed Presight and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the whitepaper presents the UAE's vision for a Regulatory Intelligence Ecosystem adopting proactive approaches to regulation development. The framework introduces pioneering concepts including the Unified Regulatory Digital Twin creating a live digital version of the UAE's regulatory ecosystem monitoring changes in real time, and the Sovereign Governance-in-the-Loop framework ensuring human decision-making remains central with AI serving as assistant rather than replacement for legislators.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
LINK
Public Sector AI Readiness Tool (WGS website)
Read more about AI and the UAE government:
UAE unveils regulatory intelligence ecosystem whitepaper (Middle East AI News)
UAE AI Office launches AI leadership guide (Middle East AI News)
UAE deploys AI system to improve performance (Middle East AI News)
UAE embeds AI at the core of government planning cycle (Middle East AI News)
UAE approves first-of-its-kind AI regulatory ecosystem (Middle East AI News)