Cities globally are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence in their public services and operations. However, they lack a common framework to measure or compare their level of preparedness to deploy these technologies safely and effectively. Existing global indices evaluate countries based on legislation, investment, and research output. But the AI efforts at the city level, where the technology most directly impacts daily life, are not systematically tracked.
To address this gap, researchers from Oxford Insights studied the AI readiness of six cities: Abu Dhabi, Seoul, London, Montreal, Helsinki, and Tallinn. The study found that all cities share core priorities, including governance, funding, talent, and infrastructure. However, they take distinct routes to AI readiness, shaped by structural conditions and strategic choices. The research included an in-depth study of Abu Dhabi, which provided insights into the city's efforts to build AI readiness.
The report, "City AI Readiness: A Deep Dive into Abu Dhabi and the Global Landscape," was produced in collaboration with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and the Khalifa University. It proposes a City AI Readiness Index, which would give city governments a comparable reference point to that used by national governments since 2017. This index aims to provide citizens and residents with a clearer picture of their city's AI readiness.
According to Richard Stirling, CEO of Oxford Insights, "Cities are where most people deal with government, yet there has been no shared way to judge how ready they are for AI." The framework developed by Oxford Insights will provide city leaders with the necessary information to assess their AI readiness. Abu Dhabi was chosen as a test case due to its comprehensive AI ecosystem, which includes computing power, energy, models, capital, and government as a large-scale user.
The report identifies four types of cities based on their AI readiness: "Platform Cities" focused on infrastructure, "Cognitive Cities" driven by research, "Delivery Cities" centered on service delivery, and "Strategic Cities" where AI plays a central role in government planning and economy. Abu Dhabi and Seoul were classified as "Strategic Cities." In January 2025, Abu Dhabi launched a three-year strategy to become the first government designed natively around AI.
Abu Dhabi's TAMM platform, an AI-powered public service platform used by 4.7 million people, now handles 96% of requests autonomously using AI. Oxford Insights plans to pilot-test the City AI Readiness Index in 15 to 20 cities. The report highlights areas requiring continued attention as AI deployment scales, including computing power, energy requirements, talent, governance, and resilience.
The study used a six-pillar framework to understand AI readiness and identified areas for improvement. The findings suggest that there is no single model for AI readiness, and cities must develop their unique approaches. The proposed City AI Readiness Index will help city governments and citizens assess and compare their AI readiness, ensuring that the benefits of AI are realized while minimizing potential risks.
Key points
- Cities lack a common framework to measure their AI readiness.
- Oxford Insights proposes a City AI Readiness Index to address this gap.
- The index will help city governments and citizens assess and compare their AI readiness.
