Sri Lanka’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy will lay the foundation for AI adoption which is low compared to many countries which have made leapfrog progress in recent years, said a top official of the Sri Lanka AI Advisory Board.
Elaborating on the importance of the AI Strategy 2025-2030 at the Scale up – National SME Forum 2025, Chairman of the AI Advisory Committee, Dr. Romesh Ranaweera said Sri Lanka’s ranks low in readiness of AI adoption and this is where the AI strategy comes handy to lay the foundation and infrastructure to fast pace its adoption across the country.
The SME forum was hosted by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the Taj Samudra Hotel on Wednesday.
“The country cannot drag its feet and wait for five years to increase adoption of AI. The work of the AI Advisory Committee will have its impact after the digital economy is in place,” he said, adding that the foundational work will take time as capacity and skills development have to take place.
“Sri Lanka ranking in the Government AI readiness index improved from 115 to 93 last year.
“Sri Lanka’s ranking improved due to the support of the AI strategy and work undertaken after almost two years of study of how countries developed AI through a national effort across the spectrum on skills development, raising awareness, and building capacity,” Dr. Ranaweera said.
The Artificial Intelligence strategy is built on principles such as inclusivity and responsibility, trustworthiness and transparency, human-centricity, adoption-focus and impact-orientation, agile and adaptive governance, collaboration and global engagement, and sustainability and future-readiness.
AI Advisory Committee member Sajini Munaweera said apprehension to adopting AI is one of the major drawbacks to expand it adaptation in the country, putting it behind other nations.
“There is nothing greater than starting small as SMEs can use simple platforms and try to humanise it,” Munaweera said, adding fear to adopt AI will put us off of the game.
The AI committee is there to help get AI tools to the market and support SME businesses in its adaptation, the Advisory Committee members said.
The formation of AI Advisory Committee by the Information and Communication Technology Agency this year marked a milestone in the country’s artificial intelligence journey. The Committee will play a pivotal role in implementing Sri Lanka’s AI Strategy in alignment with the broader Digital Economy Strategy.
Artificial Intelligence has already transformed many areas of life the world over. It has the potential to take many fields, including education, agriculture, and healthcare, to new levels of quality and efficiency. For instance, AI can assist Governments in providing more effective, efficient, and citizen-centric services to its people.
AI offers an unparalleled opportunity to address these challenges head-on and drive inclusive growth, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
