The index tracks how organisations are using Responsible AI practices across 5 key dimensions: accountability, safety, fairness, transparency and explainability.
Developed by Fifth Quadrant and sponsored by the National AI Centre (NAIC), the index is now in its fourth year.
It reveals how organisations are progressing across maturity levels and highlights the business benefits of responsible AI, including improved customer experience, productivity and risk management.
The index groups organisations into 4 maturity levels - emerging, developing, implementing and leading. This is based on their adoption of RAI practices.
Key findings from the 2025 Responsible AI Index
The research shows the spread of organisations in each segment:
- 12% of organisations are 'leading' in responsible AI, up 4% from 2024. These organisations are typically large (1000+ employees) and have used AI for over 4 years.
- 23% are 'implementing', down 5% from 2024. Most have 20-249 employees and moderate AI experience.
- 48% are 'developing', unchanged from 2024. These are often smaller businesses with limited AI tenure.
- 17% are 'emerging', up 1% from 2024. This is mostly smaller organisations with minimal AI experience.
Benefits of Responsible AI practice
Organisations with over 4 years of AI experience report strong benefits from responsible AI, including:
• improved customer experience (60%)
• enhanced employee engagement (56%)
• productivity gains (47%).
There is a clear view that the benefits of responsible AI outweigh the costs.
Smaller organisations face challenges in deploying resource-intensive RAI practices such as stakeholder impact assessments, cybersecurity reviews and expert consultations. The Responsible AI Index 2025 shows that even modest steps - like improving transparency, ensuring human oversight and documenting AI decisions can build business value.
Fifth Quadrant have also released a Responsible AI self-assessment tool. Organisations can assess their maturity, benchmark against peers and receive tailored guidance for improvement.
