Representatives of the Council on Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan met with a delegation of the Directorate for Science, Innovation and Technology of the FCDO in the UK, the press center of the ministry reported.
During the meeting, they discussed expanding cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
The guests were introduced to Area AI, a national artificial intelligence technopark located in Dushanbe and supported by the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan. Area AI should become the first AI hub in Central Asia, uniting education, research laboratories, IT businesses and environmentally friendly infrastructure for AI.
The central topic of the discussion was the initiative of the President of Tajikistan to create a global self-regulation zone in the field of AI in Central Asia – a concept underlying a special resolution submitted by Tajikistan at the UN General Assembly. This approach involves a voluntary, flexible model of AI governance based on the principles of sustainability, transparency and innovation. The aim is to transform Central Asia into an international AI sandbox for ethical and safe testing and implementation of advanced technologies.
The parties also discussed possible cooperation in the field of synthetic data, joint scientific research, as well as prospects for attracting investment from the UK in the development of “green” digital infrastructure in Tajikistan, including the construction of energy-efficient data centres running on hydropower. Given that 98% of the country’s electricity is produced from renewable sources, and its territory is home to the world’s tallest dam, the Rogun hydroelectric power station, Tajikistan is a unique environment for hosting sustainable and high-tech computing power.
The meeting was an important step towards strengthening cooperation between the UK and Tajikistan in the field of AI, science and digital transformation.
