Digital Transformation and AI Readiness in the European Union: Empirical Evidence from the Internet–GDP–AI Readiness Correlation

The literature review on digital transformation and Knowledge Society indicates positive relationships between digital infrastructure, economic development, and institutional capacity to integrate advanced technologies, but few studies explicitly compare these dimensions in the European Union, including readiness for artificial intelligence (AI). The paper addresses this gap by examining the correlations between internet use, GDP per capita and the Government AI Readiness score. The aim is to highlight how digital infrastructure and economic maturity condition the capacity of Member States to integrate AI technologies in the Knowledge Society. The analysis is based exclusively on secondary data: Eurostat indicators and the Oxford Insights 2021-2024 set, processed and harmonized in Python for all EU Member States. The results highlight positive correlations between internet penetration and GDP, respectively between GDP and the level of AI Readiness, confirming that economic and digital development facilitate the integration of AI in public administration. The added value lies in the integration of three official data sources into a common framework, providing an empirical perspective on European digital maturity. The study aligns with digital governance literature and extends the analysis to the AI dimension. Limitations relate to the cross-sectional nature of the data and the lack of intra-national detail; future research could include time series, digital skills indicators and causal models.