The second national Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index study tracks changes in attitudes, knowledge, and practices related to the use of AI in Bulgaria’s public administration between 2025 and 2026. The data were collected from 5,475 employees at central, regional, and municipal levels.

In 2026, the overall Index score increased, while the administration remained in the “capacity-building” stage. The most notable progress was observed in the practical use of AI and employees’ readiness to work with AI tools.

At the same time, the institutional environment is developing more slowly. Limited access to approved tools, the lack of clear internal rules, and insufficient knowledge sharing continue to be among the main barriers.

The findings show that the sustainable adoption of AI in public administration requires not only stronger skills and more training, but also clear responsibilities, secure access to AI tools, and mechanisms for institutional learning.

The raw data from the study are available in the open research repository Zenodo, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22026174.

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