Assessing Artificial Intelligence Readiness using UNESCO’s RAM tool and policy implications for Vietnam

Abstract

The article analyses the readiness assessment methodology (RAM) for artificial intelligence (AI), developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), based on the Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence adopted in 2021 by all 193 member states. It examines UNESCO’s RAM as a distinctive normative-policy instrument within the global ecosystem of AI governance frameworks. At the same time, it compares RAM with other major international AI assessment and governance tools developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union (EU), and the World Bank, highlighting RAM’s unique emphasis on human rights, cultural diversity, social inclusion, and sustainable development. Drawing on the Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment Report published in October 2025, the article argues that Vietnam’s engagement with RAM not only represents a technical policy exercise but also reflects a strategic commitment to responsible AI governance and an emerging role as a constructive norm-taker and norm-shaper within global AI governance. Given these insights, the article proposes extended policy implications for Vietnam, emphasising the transition from AI development to responsible AI governance, the institutionalisation of RAM as a long-term policy instrument, and the potential for Vietnam to serve as a regional bridge for UNESCO-led AI norms.