Artificial intelligence risks deepening the divide between richer and poorer nations, according to a new study that calculates a $360 billion difference in potential economic gains between the Commonwealth countries best prepared for the technology and those lagging behind.

The Ayre Index and Its Scope

The Ayre Index was unveiled at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. It examined conditions facing 732 million people aged 15 to 29 across all 56 member states.

Rankings and Regional Results

Singapore topped the rankings, followed by Malta, Australia, Britain and Canada. Malawi and Lesotho finished last.

Among the Commonwealth's 21 African members, only Mauritius, South Africa and Nigeria reached the readiness benchmark.

Connectivity Alone Is Not Enough

The research suggests that installing networks does not automatically create opportunity. In Togo, 4G coverage reaches almost everyone, yet fewer than half of young people report using the internet. In Malawi, electricity reaches a fifth of the population.

Gaps persist even where enthusiasm is high. About 90% of young Nigerians surveyed expected to use AI for work or education within a year, but Nigeria scored just 0.8 out of 10 on measures of conventional digital capability.

Skills and Jobs

Even meeting the benchmark is no guarantee of work: South Africa qualified, but unemployment stood at 46.3% among its young labour force.

The study drew on 1,128 sources but also exposed how little comparable evidence exists about young people's actual AI capabilities in some countries.

Founder's Warning

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Calvin Ayre, the founder of the think tank behind the index, said: “AI is going to change how we work, how we do business and how wealth is created. Nobody can afford to be complacent.”

Governments, he said, must give young people the skills and opportunities to succeed.

Central Warning

The study's central warning is that access alone is insufficient. Skills, affordable connectivity, routes into employment and support for entrepreneurs will determine whether AI creates new businesses and better jobs – or reinforces existing economic divides.