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October 10, 2026

Why Is Sri Lanka Still Behind on AI? A Simple Guide to Catching Up (Safely)

A simple guide to catching up, safely. Written for students, public servants, small business owners and anyone who has heard about AI but…

By Praveen Perera

6 min read

A simple guide to catching up, safely. Written for students, public servants, small business owners and anyone who has heard about AI but never really tried it.

First, what do I mean by "AI"?

When people say "AI" today, they usually mean tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. You type a question or a task, in plain words, and it replies like a very fast assistant. It can draft a letter, summaries a long report, explain a hard topic, or help you plan a lesson.

That's it. It is not magic, and it is not a robot taking your desk. It is a tool, like a calculator for words.

So why do so many people in Sri Lanka still hesitate to use it? I work in IT security and public service, and I see the same seven reasons again and again.

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The 7 reasons we're behind (and what to do about each)

01.Language

Most AI tools work best in English. Sinhala and Tamil support are getting better, but answers can still sound stiff or contain mistakes. If you think and work in Sinhala, the first try can feel disappointing.

What to do:_ Ask in the language you're comfortable with, then ask for the answer in simple English or simple Sinhala. Always read Sinhala output carefully before you send it anywhere official._

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02. Cost

Paid plans are priced in dollars, and since the 2022 economic crisis even small subscriptions are hard to justify. Many people also don't have an international card.

What to do:_ Start with the free versions. For most everyday tasks you don't need a paid plan. Students should check for free student offers. For example, the government has announced a partnership with Google for free student access to Gemini features._

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03. Data and devices

Mobile data is not cheap, and connections outside the cities can be slow. Older phones struggle with some tools.

What to do: Use AI in short, focused sessions. Write your full request clearly in one message instead of many back-and-forth ones. That saves data and gives better answers.

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04. Nobody showed us a useful example

Many people have heard of ChatGPT but have never seen it do something for their job. A farmer, a clerk or a shopkeeper sees nothing relevant, tries one vague question, gets a vague answer, and gives up.

What to do: Don't try to "learn AI". Pick one boring task you already do every week and try it there. Here are a few to get started:

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05. Fear of job loss and of being tricked

This is a real worry in a country where job security already feels fragile. And the fear of scams is fair: AI can be used to make fake videos, voices and messages.

A recent example was a reported deepfake video of the President endorsing a fake government investment scheme. Sri Lanka CERT, journalists and the Presidential Media Division confirmed it was AI-generated and part of a phishing scam.

What to do:_ Don't avoid AI out of fear. Learn how to spot fakes. The safety checklist below shows how. AI is far more likely to change how we work than to replace people who know how to use it._

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06. Institutions move slowly

Schools, universities and offices often have no clear rules on AI. So staff either avoid it completely or use it quietly with no guidance, which is the riskier option.

What to do (for managers):_ Write a one-page policy. Say what AI can be used for and what must never be pasted in. Train people for their specific jobs, run a small pilot in one team, and measure the time saved._

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07. Not enough local content

Most tutorials are in English and built around Western examples. There's very little on using AI for Sri Lankan forms, government letters, local business or Sinhala content.

What to do:_ Share what works. If you find a good prompt for a Sri Lankan task, post it, teach a colleague, make a Sinhala tutorial. Peer teaching beats any foreign website._

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The Safe-Use Checklist (please read this part)

Because my background is in cybersecurity, this is the section I care about most. Before you use any AI tool, remember these rules:

Never paste in:

  • National ID numbers, passport numbers, bank details or passwords
  • Confidential government or company documents
  • Other people's personal information
  • Anything you would be uncomfortable seeing on a public notice board
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Always:

  • Check the facts. AI can sound confident and be completely wrong, especially about Sri Lankan laws, forms and local details. Treat its output as a first draft, never the final word.
  • Pause on urgent money requests. If a video, voice note or message of a famous person asks you to invest or send money, assume it is fake until you verify it from an official source.
  • Look for signs of a fake. Odd lip movement, flat or strange voice, too-good-to-be-true offers, and links from unknown senders.
  • Report scams. Sri Lanka CERT is the national center for cyber security and exists to be a trusted point of contact for the public. If something looks like a phishing scam or a fake account, report it through their official website (cert.gov.lk).
  • Follow your workplace rules. If your office has an AI policy, follow it. If it doesn't, ask for one.
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What is the country doing about it?

Sri Lanka has a draft National AI Strategy (2025–2029). It talks about bringing AI into education and professional training, building a National Centre for AI, and setting up a Responsible AI Advisory Council. The government also launched a National Cyber Security Operation Centre, and an Ethical AI Framework was opened for public comment. These are good steps, but policy only works when ordinary people feel confident enough to try the tools.

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Your 10-minute starter plan

  1. Open a free AI tool on your phone or laptop.
  2. Choose one task from your own week (a letter, a summary, a lesson plan).
  3. Write your request with three things: who it's for, what you want, and how long it should be.
  4. Read the answer. Fix anything wrong. Ask it to improve: "make it shorter", "make it more polite".
  5. Notice how long it took you. That is your first win.

A sample Sinhala request you can copy: "මේ ලිපිය සරල සිංහලෙන් කෙටියෙන් සාරාංශ කරන්න." (Summarize this article briefly in simple Sinhala.)

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The bottom line

Sri Lanka isn't behind because Sri Lankans can't use AI. We're behind because of language, cost, awareness and trust, and all four can be fixed with small, practical steps: one useful example at a time, in our own languages, with safety built in from day one.

If this guide helped you, share it with one person who has never tried AI. That's how this changes.

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Disclaimer: The views in this article are my own and do not represent any government organization.

About the author

Praveen Perera is a BSc (Hons) Cyber Security graduate (First Class) with close to a decade of experience in IT security, networks and digital archives across media and government. He is an Associate Member of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (AMCSSL), a researcher specialising in artificial intelligence who has carried out several research projects in AI and threat analysis, a cybersecurity enthusiast and an inventor. He works as a civil servant and an internationally recognized photojournalist in Colombo. Connect on LinkedIn.

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