Japan, South Korea join top AI-ready economies; India faces adoption hurdles

A new report by Boston Consulting Group finds Japan and South Korea have joined the top tier of AI-ready economies, while India faces challenges in turning its talent pool into broad economic gains. The AI Maturity Matrix 2026 assesses 79 economies on AI exposure and readiness, with enterprise investment in AI doubling in 2026. Japan and South Korea joined pioneers like the US and China, while eight economies moved to a more advanced readiness category. For India, the challenge is ensuring AI adoption improves productivity across the economy and preparing workers for changing job requirements. The report notes India's efforts to widen AI skills access, but infrastructure and investment will determine which countries move ahead.