Readiness
44/100Capacity across five enabling pillarsMiddle East & Africa · #11 in region
Iran
AI Readiness Score
Limited coverageiCoverage describes source availability, not statistical certainty.
- Live
- 0/23
- Years
- Not reported
- Fallback
- 100%
SATURDAY, OCT 31, 20262026 EDITION · 17 INDICATORS
VOL. III · 2026 EDITION
The AI Trajectory IndexMenu
Executive summary
Current standing, trajectory, and source coverage.
Readiness and Adoption
Capacity to build AI compared with evidence of AI use today.
Adoption
45/100Early AdoptionTrajectory
+1/10NeutralReadiness vs Adoption: Radar
Blue = readiness capacity · Green = active adoption · Each axis pairs the closest dimension from each framework
| Dimension pair | Readiness | Adoption |
|---|---|---|
| Infra / Gov | 9/20 | 9/20 |
| Talent / Demand | 13/20 | 8/20 |
| Governance / Enterprise | 5/20 | 9/20 |
| Investment / Pipeline | 8/20 | 9/20 |
| Economy / Consumer | 9/20 | 10/20 |
Pillar evidence
Scores, supporting evidence, and the exact inputs behind each contribution.
Infrastructure
MCI and Irancell providing 4G/LTE widely; National Information Network (NIN) intranet growing
- Domestic data centre capacity significant; partially isolated from global internet by filternet
- Internet restrictions and periodic shutdowns create operational reliability issues
View score inputs
| Input | Value | Year | Source | Contribution | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed broadband subscriptionsFixed broadband subscriptions unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Infrastructure baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 2.7 / 6 pts | Fallback |
| Individuals using the internetIndividuals using the internet unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Infrastructure baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Mobile subscriptionsMobile subscriptions unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Infrastructure baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Access to electricityAccess to electricity unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Infrastructure baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Infrastructure quality baselineInfrastructure quality baseline unavailable; used 5/20 of the static Infrastructure baseline. | Not available | Not reported | AI Trajectory Index | 2.3 / 5 pts | Fallback |
Talent
Sharif University, University of Tehran, and IUST produce world-class CS and AI graduates
- Iran consistently places in top-10 internationally in mathematics olympiads — exceptional STEM tradition
- Significant brain drain to US, Canada, and Europe but large domestic AI research community remains
View score inputs
| Input | Value | Year | Source | Contribution | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross tertiary enrolmentGross tertiary enrolment unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Talent baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 3.9 / 6 pts | Fallback |
| Labour productivityLabour productivity unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Talent baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 3.9 / 6 pts | Fallback |
| ResearchersResearchers unavailable; used 2/20 of the static Talent baseline. | Not available | Not reported | OECD Data Explorer | 1.3 / 2 pts | Fallback |
| Global Innovation IndexGlobal Innovation Index unavailable; used 1/20 of the static Talent baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Intellectual Property Organization | 0.7 / 1 pts | Fallback |
| Talent quality baselineTalent quality baseline unavailable; used 5/20 of the static Talent baseline. | Not available | Not reported | AI Trajectory Index | 3.3 / 5 pts | Fallback |
Governance
Internet censorship and filternet limiting access to global AI tools and research
- National AI strategy exists but sanctions restrict access to international AI compute and platforms
- Government AI investment directed toward surveillance and domestic applications
View score inputs
| Input | Value | Year | Source | Contribution | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of LawRule of Law unavailable; used 5/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | Worldwide Governance Indicators | 1.3 / 5 pts | Fallback |
| Government EffectivenessGovernment Effectiveness unavailable; used 4/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | Worldwide Governance Indicators | 1.0 / 4 pts | Fallback |
| Regulatory QualityRegulatory Quality unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | Worldwide Governance Indicators | 0.8 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| National AI strategyNational AI strategy unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | OECD.AI Policy Observatory | 0.8 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| AI strategy recencyAI strategy recency unavailable; used 2/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | OECD.AI Policy Observatory | 0.5 / 2 pts | Fallback |
| AI regulation in forceAI regulation in force unavailable; used 1/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | OECD.AI Policy Observatory | 0.3 / 1 pts | Fallback |
| Government AI readinessGovernment AI readiness unavailable; used 2/20 of the static Governance baseline. | Not available | Not reported | Oxford Insights | 0.5 / 2 pts | Fallback |
Investment
Domestic tech ecosystem notable despite sanctions — Digikala, Snapp, Tapsi are AI-powered at scale
- Bonyad (Islamic foundation) investment in tech companies within Iran's semi-isolated digital economy
- Sanctions prevent access to NVIDIA, cloud AI platforms, and international venture capital
View score inputs
| Input | Value | Year | Source | Contribution | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D expenditureR&D expenditure unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Investment baseline. | Not available | Not reported | OECD Data Explorer, then World Bank Open Data | 2.4 / 6 pts | Fallback |
| FDI net inflowsFDI net inflows unavailable; used 5/20 of the static Investment baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 2.0 / 5 pts | Fallback |
| Government expenditureGovernment expenditure unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Investment baseline. | Not available | Not reported | IMF DataMapper | 1.2 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Capital ecosystem baselineCapital ecosystem baseline unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Investment baseline. | Not available | Not reported | AI Trajectory Index | 2.4 / 6 pts | Fallback |
Economic Readiness
85M population is a large domestic AI market; highly educated urban class drives AI product adoption
- Digikala (Iran's Amazon) and Snapp (Iran's Uber) demonstrate AI-powered commerce at scale despite sanctions
- Sanctions create both constraint (hardware access) and opportunity (domestic AI tool development)
View score inputs
| Input | Value | Year | Source | Contribution | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita, PPPGDP per capita, PPP unavailable; used 6/20 of the static Economic Readiness baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 2.7 / 6 pts | Fallback |
| Private-sector creditPrivate-sector credit unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Economic Readiness baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Trade opennessTrade openness unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Economic Readiness baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Services value addedServices value added unavailable; used 3/20 of the static Economic Readiness baseline. | Not available | Not reported | World Bank Open Data | 1.4 / 3 pts | Fallback |
| Market capacity baselineMarket capacity baseline unavailable; used 5/20 of the static Economic Readiness baseline. | Not available | Not reported | AI Trajectory Index | 2.3 / 5 pts | Fallback |
| Government debt modifierGovernment debt modifier unavailable; no score adjustment was applied. | Not available | Not reported | IMF DataMapper | 0.0 / 0 pts | Fallback |
Outlook and policy gaps
Forward direction, constraints, and a structured country brief.
Projected 2028
46/100+2 points from todayTop accelerator
World-class STEM research tradition and large educated domestic market for AI-powered servicesTop risk
International sanctions blocking GPU access, cloud platforms, and investment — creating a permanently isolated AI ecosystemFive-section brief
Country research brief
Generate a concise review of standing, infrastructure and talent, governance, investment, and economic outlook.
News and supporting tools
Recent signals, comparable economies, and optional analysis controls.
Live AI News Feed
The Guardian · Google News · Updated hourly
Comparable countries
Nearest neighbours across the five readiness pillars.
Analysis toolsWhat-if model, roadmap, AI Q&A, embed, and print controls
AI Development Roadmap
Algorithmic roadmap based on pillar scores · Updated with live data
◉Development Phase
Iran is in the Development Phase
Scaling infrastructure and talent pipelines. Projected score by 2028: 46/100.
2028 Timeline
▶
Now
Score 44
2
2025–26
Talent pipeline scaling to 1,000+ AI graduates/yr
3
2026–27
AI regulation framework published
4
2028
Domestic AI investment exceeds 0.5% GDP
Priority Actions — 3 Weakest Pillars
⬟Governance & Policy
5/20Near
Adopt a national AI strategy with measurable 3-year milestones
Mid
Establish independent AI regulator with statutory powers and public accountability
◇Investment & R&D
8/20Near
Introduce R&D tax credits (≥25%) for AI-related expenditure
Mid
Create sovereign AI venture fund targeting deep-tech Series A/B rounds
⬡Digital Infrastructure
9/20Near
Extend rural connectivity and reduce mobile data costs below $2/GB
Mid
Build national data centre capacity and connect to international internet exchanges
Roadmap generated algorithmically from pillar scores and World Bank data. Actions are indicative policy priorities, not official government plans.