By: Staff Writer
February 23, Colombo (LNW): As the global race for artificial intelligence accelerates at breakneck speed, Sri Lanka finds itself struggling to keep pace. Though the country boasts a highly competent workforce, its AI adoption rate stood at just 6.2 percent in early 2025, inching up marginally to 6.6 percent by year’s end, according to the Microsoft AI Economy Institute. That figure remains well below the global average, underscoring a widening technological divide.
AI Data Scientist A.D. Magedaragamage warns that artificial intelligence is no longer a passing innovation trend. It has become the bedrock of geopolitical and economic power in the 21st century, reshaping global hierarchies much like electricity and the internet once did. Nations that master AI are consolidating influence, while those that lag risk marginalization.
Global benchmarks paint a sobering picture. In the Global AI Index, Sri Lanka ranks 82nd out of 83 countries in AI-ready talent and infrastructure. Despite launching a comprehensive National AI Strategy for 2024–2028, the country’s ecosystem remains stalled at what experts describe as a “model level,” unable to transition from policy formulation to tangible implementation.
Infrastructure gaps remain the most critical bottleneck. Limited cloud capacity and high energy costs make advanced AI deployment prohibitively expensive. Without affordable, scalable computing power, even promising local innovations struggle to mature.
Compounding the problem is a persistent “brain drain.” As the nation works toward economic recovery, experienced AI engineers and strategic leaders are leaving for more stable markets, draining institutional knowledge and weakening the capacity to scale homegrown solutions.
Data governance presents another contradiction. While Sri Lanka has enacted a Personal Data Protection Act, its national open data portal remains largely dormant. Developers lack access to high-quality, localized datasets essential for building ethical and context-sensitive AI models. The result is a policy framework without practical fuel.
Analysts warn that unless Sri Lanka shifts from policy intent to rapid execution within the next 12 to 18 months, it risks becoming merely an importer of foreign AI systems deepening technological dependence rather than fostering sovereignty.
The stakes are high. Artificial intelligence is no longer optional; it is structural. Sri Lanka’s future competitiveness hinges on whether it can convert its technical talent into measurable productivity gains. Failure to act decisively could lock the nation into a decade of reliance on external innovation, with diminished economic leverage and reduced strategic autonomy.
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