Received:
2026-05-20 | Accepted:
2026-07-11 | Published:
2026-09-30
Title
AI readiness for sustainable development: Europe’s regulatory burden and the gaps in innovation and cybersecurity
Abstract
Research examines the relationships among digital maturity, artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, and cybersecurity resilience in EU member states, highlighting their collective relevance to sustainable digital development. Drawing on multiple international datasets—including the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the Government AI Readiness Index, the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index, and the European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC)—we develop a novel composite indicator, the Digital Resilience Index (DRI). The aim is to test whether higher levels of digitalisation and AI readiness are associated with stronger cybersecurity capacity, and to identify imbalances in which rapid digital growth is not matched by adequate resilience, potentially undermining the long-term sustainability of digital governance systems. Methodologically, the study employs comparative quantitative analysis, correlation techniques, and robustness checks (Spearman coefficients and bootstrap confidence intervals) to ensure the stability of the results. The findings reveal that digitally advanced countries tend to report more incidents due to stronger monitoring and transparency, but these incidents are typically less severe. They confirm that the absence of attacks does not define resilience, but rather the ability to detect, contain, and mitigate them effectively—an essential condition for sustainable, trustworthy and future-proof digital ecosystems. By introducing an integrated index and empirically demonstrating its policy relevance, the study contributes to academic debates on digital governance and sustainable development, while offering actionable insights for policymakers. Specifically, it highlights the need to embed security-by-design principles into digital transformation, strengthen GovTech reforms, and adopt AI governance frameworks that support resilient, inclusive and sustainable digital societies.
Keywords
digital resilience, public administration, cybersecurity, AI readiness, sustainability
JEL classifications
F59
, P16
, P21
URI
http://jssidoi.org/jesi/article/6680
DOI
Pages
223-240
Funding
This is an open access issue and all published articles are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
References
Aryanti, D. R. (2025). Cybersecurity governance in public institutions: managing digital risks and resilience. VISIONER: Jurnal Pemerintahan Daerah Di Indonesia, 17(3), 24-35 https://doi.org/10.54783/jv.v17i3.1424
Search via ReFindit
Ayeola, F. (2025) AI-Driven Anomaly Detection and Data Governance: Securing financial systems, cybersecurity networks, and regulatory compliance in multicultural ecosystems. SSRN https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5439102
Search via ReFindit
Brezavšček, A., & Baggia, A. (2025). Recent Trends in Information and Cyber Security Maturity Assessment: A Systematic Literature Review. Systems, 13(1), 52 https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13010052
Search via ReFindit
Brohi, S., Mastoi, Q.-U.-A., Jhanjhi, N. Z., & Pillai, T. R. (2025) A Research Landscape of Agentic AI and Large Language Models: Applications, Challenges and Future Directions. Algorithms, 18(8), 499 https://doi.org/10.3390/a18080499
Search via ReFindit
Capuano, N., Fenza, G., Loia, V., & Stanzione, C. (2022). Explainable artificial intelligence in cybersecurity: A survey. IEEE Access, 10, 117814-117846 https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3204171
Search via ReFindit
Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) (2024). Emerging technology and security: Policy recommendations. Georgetown University https://cset.georgetown.edu
Search via ReFindit
Dritsas, E., & Trigka, M. (2025). A Survey on Cybersecurity in the Internet of Things (IoT). Future Internet, 17(1), 30 https://doi.org/10.3390/fi17010030
Search via ReFindit
ENISA. (2023). Cybersecurity by design for digital public services. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications
Search via ReFindit
Eom, S.-J., & Lee, J. (2022). Digital government transformation in turbulent times: Responses, challenges, and future direction. Government Information Quarterly, 39(3) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2022.101690
Search via ReFindit
Gajdzik, B., Grabowska, S., & Saniuk, S. (2021). A theoretical framework for Industry 4.0 and its implementation with selected practical schedules. Energies, 14(4), 940 https://doi.org/10.3390/en14040940
Search via ReFindit
Gianni, R., Lehtinen, S., & Nieminen, M. (2022). Governance of Responsible AI: From Ethical Guidelines to Cooperative Policies. Front. Comput. Sci., 4, 873437 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2022.873437
Search via ReFindit
Haug, N., Dan, S., & Mergel, I. (2024). Digitally-induced change in the public sector: a systematic review and research agenda. Public Management Review, 26(7), 1963-1987 https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2234917
Search via ReFindit
Hazdiuk, K., Bilak, Y., Shumyliak, L., & Cibák, L. (2025). An experimental analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) use for traffic monitoring in urban environments. Insights into Regional Development, 7(4), 231-250 https://doi.org/10.70132/n2454482348
Search via ReFindit
Hozouri, A., Mirzaei, A., & Effatparvar, M. (2025) A comprehensive survey on intrusion detection systems with advances in machine learning, deep learning and emerging cybersecurity challenges. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 5, 314 https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-025-00578-1
Search via ReFindit
Huang, K., & Madnick, S.E. (2019) Does High Cybersecurity Capability Lead to Openness in Digital Trade? The Mediation Effect of E-Government Maturity within Cross-Border Digital Innovation. SSRN Working Paper 2019 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3542552
Search via ReFindit
International Telecommunication Union (ITU). (2024). Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024 https://www.itu.int
Search via ReFindit
Jarzębowski, S., Bozhenko, V., Didorenko, K., Tkachenko, O., Blyznyukov, A., Melnyk, M., & Cieslik, J. (2024). The Impact of Digitalisation on the Competitiveness of European Countries. SocioEconomic Challenges, 8(3), 238-261 https://doi.org/10.61093/sec.8(3).238-261.2024
Search via ReFindit
Kamatchi, K., & Uma, E. (2025). Insights into User Behavioral-Based Insider Threat Detection: A Systematic Review. Int. J. Inf. Sec, 24, 88 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10207-025-01002-6
Search via ReFindit
Kaur, R., Gabrijelčič, D., & Klobučar, T. (2023). Artificial intelligence for cybersecurity: Literature review and future research directions. Information Fusion, 97, 101804 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2023.101804
Search via ReFindit
Kulothungan, V. (2025). Securing the AI Frontier: Urgent Ethical and Regulatory Imperatives for AI-Driven Cybersecurity. arXiv:2501.10467v1 https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2501.10467
Search via ReFindit
Kuziemski, M., & Misuraca, G. (2020). AI governance in the public sector: Three tales from the frontiers of automated decision-making in democratic settings. Telecommunications Policy, 44(6), 101976 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2020.101976
Search via ReFindit
Mohammed, A.., Goitia, D., Ahmad, S. A.., & Ramlal, C. (2025). Revealing resilience: AI anomaly detection driven design considerations for Cyber Physical Systems supporting critical infrastructures in Small Island Developing States. Insights into Regional Development, 7(3), 148-169 https://doi.org/10.70132/p6489444663
Search via ReFindit
Nott, C. (2025). Organisational Adaptation to Generative AI in Cybersecurity: A Systematic Review. arXiv 2025, preprint, arXiv:2506.12060 https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.12060
Search via ReFindit
Oxford Insights. (2024). Government AI Readiness Index 2024. Oxford Insights & International Development Research Centre https://govai.org
Search via ReFindit
Public Sector Network (n.d) https://publicsectornetwork.com/
Search via ReFindit
Rjoub, G., Bentahar, J., Abdel Wahab, O., Mizouni, R., Song, A., Cohen, R., Otrok, H., & Mourad, A. (2023). A Survey on Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity. IEEE Trans. Netw. Serv. Manag., 20(4), 5115-5140 https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSM.2023.3282740
Search via ReFindit
Safitra, M.F., Lubis, M., & Fakhrurroja, H. (2023). Counterattacking Cyber Threats: A Framework for the Future of Cybersecurity. Sustainability, 15, 13369 https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813369
Search via ReFindit
Taddeo, M., Blanchard, A., & Thomas, C. (2024). From AI Ethics Principles to Practices: A Teleological Methodology to Apply AI Ethics Principles in the Defence Domain. Philos. Technol., 37, 42 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-024-00710-6
Search via ReFindit
Thakur, S. (2025). Policy, Governance, and Technology: What Drives AI Readiness? An Empirical Study of 155 Countries. SSRN https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5233141
Search via ReFindit
Vatamanu, A.-F., & Tofan, M. (2025). Integrating artificial intelligence into public administration: Challenges and vulnerabilities. Adm. Sci., 15(4), 149 https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15040149
Search via ReFindit
Vulpe, S.-N., Rughiniș, R., Țurcanu, D., & Rosner, D. (2024) AI and cybersecurity: a risk society perspective. Front. Comput. Sci., 6, 1462250 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2024.1462250
Search via ReFindit
Waara, Å. (2025). Examining Digital Government Maturity Models: Evaluating the Inclusion of Citizens. Administrative Sciences, 15(3), 73 https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15030073
Search via ReFindit
World Bank. (2022). GovTech Maturity Index 2022. World Bank Publications https://www.worldbank.org
Search via ReFindit
Zettl-Schabath, K., Bund, J., Müller, M., Borrett, C., Hemmelskamp, J., Alibegovic, A., Bajra, E., Jazxhi, A., Kellenter, E., Sachs, A., & Shelley, C. (2025) Global Dataset of Cyber Incidents (Version 1.3.2) [Data set]. European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC), 2025 https://eurepoc.eu/database/
Search via ReFindit
RSS 1.0