AI readiness, democracy, and regime stability: Cross-national evidence on political decision-making in global geopolitics

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the relationship between the level of readiness of states for the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI readiness). The study was based on a cross-national quantitative design and covered data from 31 countries representing different political regimes and regions of the world. Methodologically, the work combined correlation and regression analysis with a conceptual-interpretative approach to understanding the role of artificial intelligence in political decision-making processes. The empirical basis of the study was the Oxford Insights and Democracy Index. The results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the level of AI readiness and the level of democracy (r ≈ 0.02), as well as only a moderate positive relationship between AI readiness and regime stability (r ≈ 0.25–0.30). The constructed regression model (β = 0.0031; p = 0.9169) did not confirm the presence of a direct impact of AI readiness on democratic indicators. A comparative analysis of countries with the highest AI readiness values demonstrated that a similar level of technological potential can be combined with different political development trajectories. The results of the study found that artificial intelligence strengthens existing governance models rather than transforming them in a democratic direction. The practical significance of the work lies in substantiating the need to develop global ethical and regulatory standards for the use of AI.