Strategies for Countries to Lead in AI Innovation

"The rapid evolution and swift adoption of generative AI have prompted governments to keep pace and prepare for future developments and impacts. Policy-makers are considering how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in the public interest, balancing economic and social opportunities while mitigating risks. To achieve this purpose, this paper provides a comprehensive 360° governance framework: 1 Harness past: Use existing regulations and address gaps introduced by generative AI. The effectiveness of national strategies for promoting AI innovation and responsible practices depends on the timely assessment of the regulatory levers at hand to tackle the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the technology. Prior to developing new AI regulations or authorities, governments should: – Assess existing regulations for tensions and gaps caused by generative AI, coordinating across the policy objectives of multiple regulatory instruments – Clarify responsibility allocation through legal and regulatory precedents and supplement efforts where gaps are found – Evaluate existing regulatory authorities for capacity to tackle generative AI challenges and consider the trade-offs for centralizing authority within a dedicated agency 2 Build present: Cultivate whole-of-society generative AI governance and cross-sector knowledge sharing. Government policy-makers and regulators cannot independently ensure the resilient governance of generative AI – additional stakeholder groups from across industry, civil society and academia are also needed. Governments must use a broader set of governance tools, beyond regulations, to: – Address challenges unique to each stakeholder group in contributing to whole-of-society generative AI governance – Cultivate multistakeholder knowledge-sharing and encourage interdisciplinary thinking – Lead by example by adopting responsible AI practices 3 Plan future: Incorporate preparedness and agility into generative AI governance and cultivate international cooperation. Generative AI’s capabilities are evolving alongside other technologies. Governments need to develop national strategies that consider limited resources and global uncertainties, and that feature foresight mechanisms to adapt policies and regulations to technological advancements and emerging risks. This necessitates the following key actions: – Targeted investments for AI upskilling and recruitment in government – Horizon scanning of generative AI innovation and foreseeable risks associated with emerging capabilities, convergence with other technologies and interactions with humans – Foresight exercises to prepare for multiple possible futures – Impact assessment and agile regulations to prepare for the downstream effects of existing regulation and for future AI developments – International cooperation to align standards and risk taxonomies and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and infrastructure"

As I mentioned in my last post, I just completed a global GenAI tour, engaging with colleagues and clients to share opportunities, challenges and risks and in turn, got a decent sense of the current state of GenAI adoption worldwide. The diversity in strategies and the pace of change are remarkable. Many countries are vying to become GenAI hubs, but not all will take the lead. Here are the key factors shaping the geographical leaders in this space: 1. AI Infrastructure & Compute Access: Local, scalable infrastructure is crucial. Access to chips and energy will be critical for sustained growth 2. National Policy & Regulatory Environment: A balanced AI policy fosters confidence and investment, distinguishing impactful countries. 3. Talent & Research Ecosystem: Adapting educational systems to evolving AI skill sets and fostering partnerships with universities and trade groups is essential. 4. Enterprise & Economic Readiness: Digitally mature economies with agile enterprises can integrate GenAI effectively, gaining a competitive edge. 5. Cultural, Linguistic & Societal Fit: AI must align with local values. Widespread AI literacy and cultural acceptance are key to inclusive adoption.

July has been a pivotal month in global AI governance. Just days after the European Union released its final Code of Practice for general-purpose AI, the White House, on July 24, unveiled the AI Action Plan—a comprehensive national strategy to accelerate U.S. leadership in AI, focused on five key pillars. The AI Action Plan outlines a national approach to accelerating innovation, scaling infrastructure, and coordinating policy across sectors. It reflects a clear commitment to AI as a strategic priority—and sets the stage for long-term U.S. leadership in global AI development. The plan can be accessed on AI.gov - a recently introduced official U.S. government website to centralize and publicize the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan and related initiatives: https://www.ai.gov/ * * * AI July 2025 Action Plan - Pillars: 1. Infrastructure: Laying the Foundation for AI The plan prioritizes large-scale, secure infrastructure to support AI development and deployment. Key initiatives include: - Accelerating construction of U.S.-based data centers, chip manufacturing sites, and compute clusters - Expanding energy capacity to power AI systems - Streamlining permitting to avoid infrastructure delays - Strengthening fiber-optic networks across regions 2. Innovation: Reducing Friction for AI Development To increase speed and scale, the plan focuses on: - Regulatory and procurement reform - Open-source support and incentives for smaller tech firms - Public-private innovation hubs and targeted R&D funding - Encouraging domestic model development and compute capacity 3. Workforce: Building AI Talent at Scale To meet demand, the plan supports: - National training programs and certifications - Partnerships with universities and community colleges - Accessible education and reskilling initiatives - Use of real-time labor data to match skills with needs 4. Global Leadership and Exports The plan positions U.S. AI capabilities as strategic assets by: - Promoting exports of the full U.S. AI stack - Advancing international cooperation and standards - Strengthening export controls to protect national interests 5. Federal Adoption and Public Sector Use Federal agencies are encouraged to lead by example through: - Wider deployment of AI tools across government services - Applications in education, healthcare, and national security - Clear procurement and safety guidelines An accompanying executive order ("Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government, https://lnkd.in/g_vw3aJp) directs agencies to procure only AI systems that meet federal standards for accuracy, neutrality, and objectivity—reinforcing expectations for factual integrity in public-sector AI. * * * The plan has drawn strong industry support, with tech, energy, and manufacturing leaders welcoming its alignment on infrastructure, clear rules, and public-private partnership.

I welcome the U.S. administration’s continued focus on strengthening national AI leadership through its RFI to revise the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan. This is a pivotal opportunity to future-proof America’s innovation ecosystem, drive breakthrough discovery, power resilient infrastructure, and reinforce long-term economic and technological competitiveness.   At Dell Technologies, our submission outlines three strategic imperatives to advance U.S. AI leadership: ⚡ Intelligent Energy Orchestration: AI’s energy demands are rising fast, threatening to outpace national infrastructure. The U.S. must lead in AI-powered energy management systems that optimize power use, align workloads with clean energy availability, and integrate renewables across cloud, edge and data centers. 🧠 Align R&D with Critical AI Workloads: Federal and enterprise AI use cases—from energy to healthcare—are among the most complex in the world. National R&D must reflect these demands, with investment in modular, scalable architectures and forward-looking workload roadmaps. 💻 Close the Infrastructure Gap: AI is evolving faster than infrastructure can support. A national push is needed to build next-generation, AI-ready systems—from high-speed secure networks to energy-efficient data centers and edge capabilities—enabling scalable, sustainable AI deployment. We stand ready to help shape a bold, future-focused R&D strategy that keeps America at the forefront of global AI innovation. #AI #USLeadership #PublicPrivatePartnership #AIinnovation

Thailand isn’t trying to outbuild NVIDIA or outspend OpenAI. It’s doing something smarter... In 2025, #Thailand launched a $15.4B #AI strategy without designing a single chip. Instead, they’re building the rails the AI economy will run on: 1. $13B+ in AI-native data center investment from Microsoft, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) 2. A goal to train 10 million AI users and 140,000 professionals by 2027 3. The world’s first UNESCO-backed AI governance center opening in 2026 4. Sovereign GPU clusters and national cloud platforms optimized for regional scale This isn’t a headline strategy, it’s an execution playbook. Rather than compete in the model race, Thailand wants to be a market where all models can safely operate: Neutral, ethical, and investor-ready. The big unlock? You don’t need to build semiconductors to become essential. You need to control land, power, permits, and trust. And that’s exactly what Thailand is doing. This model isn’t just working in Bangkok. It’s creating a blueprint other emerging markets can copy. If your AI infrastructure strategy still starts with chips. You’re already behind. Thailand isn’t leading in compute. It’s leading in alignment. And in this new era of AI infrastructure, that might matter more. #datacenters #ifcinfrastructure