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US tops world ratings for AI preparedness; China, Russia and Iran lag in key measures, report finds
A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has rated countries on their ability to immediately adopt artificial intelligence (AI) into their economies, once again urging policymakers to ensure the life-changing tech “can benefit all.”
“Under most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers can work to prevent,” the IMF wrote in a blog post on its data. “To this end, the dashboard is a response to significant interest from our stakeholders in accessing the index.”
The index measures a country’s AI adoption preparedness through four key measures: digital infrastructure, human capital and labor market policies, innovation and economic integration and regulation.
The index breaks countries into five brackets with a rating of 0 to 1, with a higher score representing more favorable AI preparedness, rating 174 countries.
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Employees work at an intelligent furniture factory using 5G and artificial intelligence technology Oct. 21, 2020, in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province of China. (Liu Zhankun/China News Service via Getty Images)
According to those ratings, the U.S. and the Netherlands top the chart with a .77 value of preparedness. Other highly-rated countries are Finland and Estonia with .76, New Zealand, Germany and Sweden with .75 and Australia, Japan and Israel with .73.
Taiwan, which is the beating heart of semiconductor production and the manufacturer of the most advanced microprocessors, surprisingly received a .67 rating.
Rival nations in the West received worse ratings, with China at .64, Russia at .56, Iran at .38 and Venezuela at .27.
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India, an industrial powerhouse and a country that has rapidly ascended the ranks of major economies to overtake the U.K. as the fifth-largest economy starting in 2022, has a rating of .49.
At the bottom end — the countries least-prepared to adopt AI — were South Sudan with .11, Afghanistan with .13, the Central African Republic (CAR) with .18 and Somalia with .2. All other nations received ratings of .25 or higher.
A doctor using the AI document management concept. (iStock)
For countries like Afghanistan, the IMF lacks data on the economy, which may have skewed some of the data. Countries such as North Korea, Yemen, Eritrea and Turkmenistan did not appear on the map due to having “no data” about them.
The IMF warned that its data proved “challenging” to gather and synthesize, noting that “institutional requirements for economy-wide integration of AI are still uncertain.”
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“As the dashboard shows, different countries are at different stages of readiness in leveraging the potential benefits of AI and managing the risks,” the IMF wrote.
“In advanced economies, for example, some 30% of jobs could benefit from AI integration,” the IMF explained. “Workers who can harness the technology may see pay gains or greater productivity, while those who can’t, may fall behind.”
Nvidia is developing real-world robots equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Younger workers may find it easier to exploit opportunities, while older workers could struggle to adapt,” it added.
Previous IMF analysis determined AI will transform roughly 40% of global employment, which is in line with historical effects of automation and information technology advancements. However, what sets AI apart as a challenge is the fact it will also impact high-skilled jobs. And in more advanced economies, up to 60% of jobs may be affected.
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With its new analysis, the IMF has suggested countries with more advanced economies should look to expand social safety nets, invest in training workers and prioritize AI innovation and integration.
“Coordinating with one another globally, these countries also should strengthen regulation to protect people from potential risks and abuses and build trust in AI,” the IMF said. “The policy priority for emerging market and developing economies should be to lay a strong foundation by investing in digital infrastructure and digital training for workers.”
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The United Kingdom on Monday blamed an Iran-linked proxy group for a string of antisemitic arson attacks targeting British Jewish sites, prompting the government to ban Tehran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and impose sweeping new powers to crack down on foreign-backed sabotage.
British officials said the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR) publicly claimed responsibility for seven attacks this year targeting Jewish and Israeli-linked locations, as well as a Persian-language media outlet critical of Iran’s government. According to the U.K. government, members of the IRGC’s elite Qods Force were “almost certainly” directing the group’s operations across Europe.
The attacks included fires at synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances and other Jewish community sites in London. No injuries were reported.
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Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a reception with the Jewish community to discuss efforts to tackle antisemitism, at Downing Street, in London, July 13, 2026. (Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new measures send a clear message to foreign adversaries seeking to sow violence.
“We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets,” Starmer said. “Anyone acting on behalf of those who threaten our national security should be in no doubt that there is no place for you in Britain.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer discusses efforts to tackle antisemitism at Downing Street in London, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool Photo via AP)
If Parliament approves the designations later this week, anyone carrying out acts of sabotage — including arson — on behalf of the IRGC, IMCR or Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps could face life imprisonment. Supporting or assisting the groups could carry prison sentences of up to 14 years.
The British government said the new authorities, created under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, will make it easier for prosecutors to secure convictions because they will no longer have to prove a direct foreign government connection in every case.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood accused both Tehran and Moscow of relying on criminal proxies to conduct hostile operations inside the United Kingdom.
“Iran and Russia are using proxies and thugs to do their dirty work on our shores,” Mahmood said. “I have rapidly designated three groups so those working for them will be tracked down and put behind bars.”
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The government said IMCR emerged online earlier this year and has also claimed responsibility for attacks on synagogues in Belgium and the Netherlands. British intelligence officials say Iran-backed proxy groups have increasingly recruited members of criminal organizations to carry out sabotage, intimidation and physical attacks across Europe, often targeting Jewish communities and Iranian dissidents.
Charred remains of ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, which were set on fire in an incident that the police say is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, in London, March 23, 2026. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
According to the U.K., MI5 identified at least 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots against individuals in Britain over the past year. The government has already sanctioned more than 550 Iranian-linked individuals and entities and has pledged £250 million ($334,662,500) over three years to strengthen security for Jewish communities, including increased protection for synagogues, schools and community centers.
Britain also designated Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps, saying the group acts as a proxy for Russian military intelligence by recruiting individuals online to conduct sabotage, arson and other hostile operations.
The crackdown comes just weeks after two Romanian men were sentenced to prison for stabbing a journalist working for a Persian-language television station in London, an attack a British judge said was carried out on behalf of the Iranian state.
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Iran did not immediately comment on Monday’s announcement, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The European Union has sanctioned VK Company, which dominates Russia’s online sphere, for colluding with the Kremlin to identify critics of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and curtail access to independent sources of information.
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VK Company runs VKontakte, the country’s most popular social media site. Often described as “the Russian Facebook”, it has an estimated 70 million users.
The decision, taken on Monday by foreign ministers, points the finger at VK Company and an associated firm for developing and managing Max App, which is state-backed and comes pre-installed on all phones and tablets sold in Russia.
Citing experts, Brussels argues that Max App has “extensive surveillance features” that Russian authorities use to track online communications, gather data, monitor address books, identify user location and install autonomous updates.
The imposition of Max App has helped the state crack down on competitors, such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, and on VPNs, the private networks that Russians employ to bypass increasingly stringent state restrictions on the Internet.
“VK has cooperated with Russian authorities in their repressive actions, including by providing them with data concerning users of its services who posted content criticising Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, or other content banned by the authorities,” the legal text says.
“VK has also participated in the government-ordered ban on the use of VPNs, through which Russian internet users could previously access independent content.”
Monday’s decision introduces an asset freeze and prohibits EU companies from making funds available to VK Company. In a statement to Russian state-owned media outlet TASS, the firm said that its applications and services remained “available to users as normal”.
Besides VK Company, the EU also sanctioned Citadel, VAS Experts and Norsi-Trans, three companies that provide hardware and software for the so-called System of Operative Investigative Measures that Russian authorities use to track online communication and target journalists, opposition figures, minority groups and ordinary citizens.
The restrictions were adopted under a special regime dedicated to punishing human rights violations.
Separately, the EU sanctionednine individuals and four entities accused of carrying out “malicious” cyber attacks against several member states.
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