The second generation of national AI strategies: evolving vision or reality check?

More than 60 countries have issued national AI strategies up until today. While many more are preparing their first strategy, eight countries have already published their updated strategies or action plans, fast-tracking a second generation of national strategies at a time when general-purpose AI is becoming mainstream. Between 2020 and 2022, the governments of Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, United Kingdom have laid out their vision and strategy for the era of AI, building on their earlier efforts to agree on the national priorities back in 2017-2019. What has changed since then and how is the second generation of national AI strategies responding to AI developments? This research provides a comparative analysis of the new set of documents, exploring the drafting process, the nascent institutions dedicated to AI, as well as the dominant regulatory discourses. Based on qualitative content analysis of primary and secondary sources, this study aims to assess whether the second generation of strategies solidifies hybrid governance (Radu, 2021) or reflects engrained "AI nationalism" (Economist, 2024).