Strategy for the development of artificial intelligence in the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2040
September 2022
Strategies and Action Plans
This is not an official translation of the strategy. It has been translated using Google Translator.
Contents
Toggle1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. The Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence in the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2040 (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy) was developed with the aim of implementing the fourth strategic goal – accelerated industrialization of the country.
2. Artificial intelligence is a new phenomenon and very important in all areas of socio-economic development, taking into account the processes of globalization, the development of science and technology, the introduction and use of advanced and modern technologies.
3. Taking into account the new requirements of global markets, in particular the development of digital and virtual relations, the Strategy defines further goals, priorities and objectives for the development of artificial intelligence in the country.
4. The Strategy gives priority to the implementation of institutional reforms, the development of digital technologies, programming and the use of logarithms in the decision-making process, management and administration and services.
5. The implementation of the Strategy contributes to the development of intellectual potential, increasing the level of application of scientific achievements in production and the implementation of the strategic goals of Tajikistan.
6. Despite the fact that artificial intelligence is one of the areas of digitalization, one of the main goals of the Strategy is to provide industries with advanced digital information and communication technologies.
7. Taking into account global experience, it is considered necessary to use artificial intelligence in socio-economic spheres, including education, healthcare, labor, industry, agriculture, attracting investment and services.
8. Artificial intelligence technologies will completely change the structure of the economy and the way people live in the coming years. These technologies have penetrated almost all areas of human activity, such as health care, education, industry, transportation, banking and security, significantly improving and making people’s work easier.
9. Basic concepts:
– artificial intelligence is a system or computer equipment that is capable of simulating human intellectual and analytical abilities to perform certain tasks;
– digital information and communication technologies – a set of methods, production processes and software that are used for the purposes of collecting, processing, storing, distributing, displaying and using information in the interests of users;
– information technology – a set of interconnected scientific and technical fields that study and apply the generation, processing, storage, protection and transmission of information using computer technologies;
– SWOT – analysis of the internal and external environment of a certain object according to the elements of strengths (S- strength), weaknesses (W- weakness), opportunities (O- opportunity) and threats (T- threats);
– brain drain – a process of mass migration in which specialists, scientists and skilled workers leave their country of residence in order to improve their socio-economic conditions and receive relatively high wages;
– outsourcing is a form of cooperation defined by a contract, when employees of one organization (permanent or specially hired) work in another organization, reporting to the managers of the customer organization;
– outstaffing is the removal of personnel from the company’s staff and their registration on the staff of an outstaffing company. This organization provides employees with the required qualifications and bears full responsibility for the quality of services performed by employees.
2. ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY AND POSSIBILITIES
§1. Trends in the use of artificial intelligence in the world
10. Taking into account the steady development of science, technology and engineering, countries around the world are trying to implement a digital system of industry activities, making extensive use of artificial intelligence technologies to facilitate labor and save time, as well as improve the efficiency of industry activities.
11. Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful processes of the 21st century, and its implementation will have a positive impact on the process of accelerated production and distribution of goods, works and services. These technologies penetrate all global socio-economic spheres and form the basis of development.
12. The introduction of artificial intelligence plays an important role in all areas of human activity and, by promoting the philosophy of “leap-forward” development, can become one of the driving forces of the economy and significantly increase productivity and labor efficiency.
13. According to international experts, by 2030, due to the introduction and use of artificial intelligence technologies, the world’s gross product will increase by 14 percent or 15.7 trillion US dollars. This growth will mainly be due to increased labor productivity and increased consumer demand as a result of improved production processes.
14. As a result of the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies, jobs that do not require labor-intensive creative work will be eliminated in the near future, while on the other hand, as a result of increased productivity and efficiency, as well as the demand for programmers, additional jobs will be created. According to forecasts by the World Economic Forum, by the end of 2022, as a result of the introduction of artificial intelligence, 75 million jobs will be eliminated and 133 million new jobs will be created.
15. Considering the strategic importance of the development of artificial intelligence technologies, developed and developing countries strive for the comprehensive development of this area by attracting investment, training young people and creating favorable conditions.
16. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization report “Technological Development Process: Artificial Intelligence”, from the inception of the concept of artificial intelligence (1956) to 2019, inventors and scientists have filed 340 thousand patent applications and published 1.6 million scientific papers in this area. The level of patenting of inventions in this area is estimated as high, and more than half of the inventions were published after 2013.
17. The number of applications for patents for inventions is growing annually, and in the field of artificial intelligence it has grown from applications in 1956 to 55.7 thousand in 2017.
18. Globally, artificial intelligence is the most advanced field of computing or computer technology, accounting for a third of all inventions (134,777 units). The number of patent applications submitted in this field increased by an average of 28 percent per year, from 9,567 in 2013 to 20,195 in 2016.
19. Significant progress in computer technology has been accompanied by an in-depth study and application of neural networks, with the number of discoveries in this area increasing by 175% between 2013 and 2016, with 2,399 applications filed in 2016 alone.
20. In the area of development and implementation of functional artificial intelligence programs, computer intelligence tools were most frequently used and were registered in 49 percent of patented inventions (167,038 patent documents).
21. Patents for inventions in the field of artificial intelligence in the world are used in more than 20 socio-economic sectors. In particular, patents were issued in the field of communications (15 percent), transport (15 percent), science and health care (12 percent), personal funds, computer technology and robotics (11 percent), and the lowest percentage in the banking sector, security systems, industry, agriculture, social sites, in the safe city system and others.
22. The largest number of patent applications for inventions in the field of artificial intelligence are held by IBM (8,290 inventions), Microsoft (5,930 inventions), Toshiba (5,223 inventions), Samsung (5,102 inventions) and NEC (4,406 inventions).
23. According to economic experts, developed countries can receive more economic income from the use of artificial intelligence technologies than developing countries. Developed countries can receive 20-25 percent additional economic profit from this, while for developing countries this figure is from 5 to 15 percent.
24. It should be noted that the need to develop and implement artificial intelligence technologies is even more urgent for developed countries due to the slowdown in their economic development due to the aging of the population, since the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies will significantly increase labor productivity and eliminate labor shortages.
25. Taking into account the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on socio-economic development, countries around the world pay special attention to the development of artificial intelligence. Already 62 countries of the world have adopted and are implementing the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence.
26. In the long term, the Republic of Tajikistan can become one of the leading countries in the field of artificial intelligence. To achieve this goal, it is important to take strategic measures to create favorable conditions for the industry, as well as to train and motivate young specialists.
§2. Assessment of the current situation and possibilities for the development of artificial intelligence in various areas of the Republic of Tajikistan
27. In order to achieve the goal of industrialization of the country and ensure sustainable socio-economic development, it is necessary, first of all, to ensure a close and effective connection between science and invention with production, to widely use modern technologies in the country’s production, such as artificial intelligence technologies, scientific and technical and innovative achievements. After all, effective scientific, technological and innovative activity is one of the main factors in ensuring the economic and social development of the country.
28. Taking into account that artificial intelligence technologies are being introduced into various areas of the economy and social sphere of the Republic of Tajikistan, the use of existing opportunities and the elimination of existing shortcomings will allow in the future to gradually introduce artificial intelligence technologies in various sectors and make them one of the main tools for ensuring sustainable economic development and technological progress in the country.
29. The use of artificial intelligence will contribute to the effective implementation of digital public services, the introduction of a digital and green economy, an increase in budget revenues, simplification of registration and decision-making processes, the development of the national economy, improvement of the life of the population and ensuring transparency.
30. The experience of practical use of artificial intelligence technologies in the country is very limited due to the fact that this area is at a new stage of formation. The legal, institutional and personnel base (environment) is not formed at the proper level. However, in the long term, given the availability of human resources in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the Republic of Tajikistan has great potential to create a favorable environment for conducting technological research in the field of artificial intelligence.
31. For the development of artificial intelligence technologies and their use, it is important to have high-speed Internet, computers with powerful processors, training qualified personnel, developing means of transmitting scientific and technical information, having reliable databases, and attracting young people to study the exact sciences, especially technical sciences and programming.
32. Every year, certain funds are allocated from the state budget for research and development. In 2020, 82 million somoni were allocated for the implementation of research and development and its implementation.
33. In order to strengthen the institutional foundations of the digital economy, develop the information and communication infrastructure throughout the country, digitalize the sectors of the national economy and expand the digital economy, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan has been designated as the authorized state body in this area.
34. In order to strengthen the intellectual potential of society, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan dated January 31, 2020 No. 1445, 2020-2040 were declared the twentieth anniversary of the study and development of natural, exact and mathematical sciences.
35. Attracting more pupils, students and other segments of society to study mathematical, exact and natural sciences, as well as holding the competition “Ilm – furu, i ma’rifat” (“Science is a source of enlightenment”) in accordance with the order of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan dated February 3, 2022, No. RP-155, contribute to the development of technical thinking.
36. The Council for Science, Education and Innovation under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan has been created. The main purpose of creating this council is to consider existing problems in the field of science, education and innovation, as well as to promote the development of these vital sectors of society.
37. In modern conditions, the development of innovative activities in the field of digital technologies and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies is a key condition for economic competitiveness.
38. Today, the implementation of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies, is clearly visible in the spheres of finance, banking, transport, energy, education, industry and international relations. The development of non-cash payments in the spheres of trade and transport, the provision of microloans using digital technologies, the creation of enterprises using innovative technologies and the digitalization of the educational process, automatic assessment of the borrower’s solvency and the provision of microloans, forecasting cases of client reduction, text recognition and digitalization of documentation are important prerequisites for the use of artificial intelligence in the economic and social spheres of Tajikistan.
39. By 2022, using customer assessment software (SCORING) powered by artificial intelligence technology, microloans worth more than 50 million somoni were issued to clients in 16 cities and districts of the Republic of Tajikistan, of which only 0.3 percent were problem loans.
40. The Scoring software was developed based on a study of 1 million loans issued over the past 10 years. Analysis shows that the implementation of this program in the banking system will reduce the volume of problem loans by 19 percent and will promote the development of microloans and increase their profitability.
41. The first AI lab in Central Asia was launched in Tajikistan in November 2019 with the support of the Islamic Development Bank. The development of software in this lab and its implementation, the presentation of young talents in the field of artificial intelligence allowed Tajikistan to become another point on the world map of artificial intelligence development, through which Tajikistan gained a relative competitive advantage over the countries of the region.
42. To date, within the framework of ongoing projects, more than 100 specialists have been trained in the artificial intelligence laboratory and are working in various industries. Currently, one higher education institution in the country is training personnel in the specialty of artificial intelligence, and from the 2022-2023 academic year, four more higher education institutions in the country will be covered by the study of this specialty.
43. In August 2021, the first Artificial Intelligence Forum was held in Dushanbe with the participation of heads of ministries and departments, as well as more than 100 representatives of the research community, the private sector, public and international organizations, and global technology companies.
44. The development of artificial intelligence technologies and their practical application in the Republic of Tajikistan is mainly associated with the improvement of the legal system and the creation on this basis of industry infrastructure, primarily technology parks and innovation centers. Regulation and control in this area is carried out on the basis of relevant regulatory legal acts.
§3. Analysis and formation of the legislative and institutional framework in the field of artificial intelligence
45. Considering that activities in the field of artificial intelligence are new for the Republic of Tajikistan, it is important to form its legislative framework.
46. The main instrument of state policy in the field of use and legal protection of the results of artificial intelligence activities are regulatory legal acts based on the provisions of national and industry laws and codes.
47. First of all, it is necessary to take measures to develop and improve the following regulatory legal acts:
– development of a draft Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Artificial Intelligence”, defining the principles of state regulation in this area;
– making amendments and additions to laws and codes concerning the legal protection of artificial intelligence and related relations;
– development of rules for the use of artificial intelligence in various fields, determination of mechanisms for the use of artificial intelligence in the activities of government agencies, mechanisms for the use of information sources, dispute resolution, its legal protection and other aspects;
– bringing national standards into line with international standards and the mechanism for concluding international agreements on artificial intelligence;
– development of national rules and standards for assessing the value of artificial intelligence objects for commercialization and management;
– development of effective mechanisms for accounting and implementation of artificial intelligence results in production.
48. The institutional basis of the industry consists of the creation of a favorable infrastructure in the field of artificial intelligence, the coordination of a set of measures and relations to ensure the proper functioning of the system, the timely consideration of existing issues, the fight against offenses, the improvement of legislation in the field of artificial intelligence and their implementation.
49. The creation of favorable infrastructure conditions and coordination of activities in the field of artificial intelligence will be carried out through an authorized government body in this area.
50. In the Republic of Tajikistan, a single authorized state body on issues of artificial intelligence has not yet been identified.
51. In the area of strengthening the institutional framework, the following tasks must be completed:
– creation of the Council on Artificial Intelligence and approval of its composition by a resolution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan;
– creation of a structure or special subdivision within the existing staff units in the structure of ministries, departments and local executive bodies of state power;
– solving the problem of staff shortages;
– strengthening and accelerating the process of accession to international conventions and agreements.
3. VISION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STRATEGY
§1 Long-term vision of artificial intelligence
52. The implementation of the goals, priorities and objectives of the Strategy in 2040 will contribute to the sustainable development of the country and on this basis a decent standard of living for the population of Tajikistan will be ensured.
53. Using elements of artificial intelligence, strategic goals will be achieved, including green energy, green economy, digital economy, e-government and other national priorities, and on this basis Tajikistan will become one of the leading countries in the world.
54. In the future, the commercialization of artificial intelligence will ensure the economic development of the country, as well as increase the export of goods and services, replenishment of the state budget and sources of monetary income of the population.
55. The priority areas of the Strategy are based on the goals and priorities of the country, reflected in strategies and programs at the national, regional and sectoral levels:
– implementation of e-government and improvement of service delivery;
– creation of smart cities and smart governance;
– digitalization of social and economic spheres;
– accelerated industrialization of the country and digitalization of the real sector of the economy.
§2. Main goals and objectives of the Strategy
56. The main objective of the Strategy for the implementation period is to increase income as a result of the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies to 5 percent of the gross domestic product.
57. The goal of the Strategy is to ensure socio-economic development, improve the standard and quality of life of the population and develop the country’s intellectual potential through the use of artificial intelligence.
58. In this case, priority will be given to ensuring employment of the population, increasing the volume and quality of goods, works and services and, in general, ensuring high quality economic development.
59. The targeted use of artificial intelligence affects the high quality of production, distribution and consumption of goods, works and services in various socio-economic sectors, which includes the following aspects:
– giving priority to intellectual products aimed at increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness;
– continuous improvement of artificial intelligence products in order to facilitate their use by interested parties;
– integration of various artificial intelligence products within a single platform or software base to ensure consistency and compatibility in various areas;
– artificial intelligence should be oriented towards the development and protection of humans and should be simple, understandable and useful;
– recognition of ensuring information security, protecting human dignity, state security and various socio-economic sectors as a priority in the use of artificial intelligence.
60. To achieve the main goal of the Strategy, the following tasks have been defined:
– formation of a legal framework for the use of artificial intelligence in the conditions of the Republic of Tajikistan;
– identifying ways to use artificial intelligence in priority areas of the country;
– training of qualified personnel in the field of artificial intelligence;
– facilitating the implementation of the Strategy through public-private, scientific and public cooperation;
– increasing literacy in the use of artificial intelligence;
– improving the quality of telecommunication services;
– creation of reliable databases;
– ensuring broad public access to various services based on the principles of reliability, transparency, equality and simplification;
– stimulation of processes of public administration, service and control in the regions of the Republic of Tajikistan;
– full implementation of electronic government in government bodies;
– widespread use of artificial intelligence in industrial and agricultural production and in various infrastructures;
– development of regulatory legal acts and specification of the concept of artificial intelligence in the context of the Republic of Tajikistan;
– development of a mechanism for coordinating the Strategy and artificial intelligence projects with industry strategies and development programs;
– creation of legal conditions for access to information collected by government agencies;
– creation of favorable conditions for companies investing in the development of artificial intelligence;
– establishing legal and ethical frameworks for the use of artificial intelligence.
§3. Opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
61. SWOT analysis of the potential of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of artificial intelligence shows the following results:
1) strengths of using artificial intelligence:
– about two thirds of the population of Tajikistan is under 30 years old, which is a contributing factor for training specialists;
– acquisition of computer knowledge, use of computer and information programs and the desire of the younger generation to improve their knowledge in this area, including in the field of artificial intelligence;
– availability of a basic infrastructure base for the development and implementation of artificial intelligence;
– availability of educational programs and specialties related to programming, information technology, artificial intelligence, IT technologies, etc. in educational institutions equipped with laboratories;
2) Weaknesses of using artificial intelligence:
– the trend of external labor migration from the country and the brain drain;
– relatively low salaries of employees in the information technology sector in government agencies;
– a small number of laboratories and teachers specializing in artificial intelligence;
– low level of commercialization of the results of scientific and technical work and intellectual property;
– insufficient funding for the industry and training of personnel in the field of artificial intelligence;
– imperfection of legal regulation of relations on intellectual property;
3) opportunities for the development of artificial intelligence:
– initiatives of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the private sector for cooperation in this area;
– the presence of markets for intellectual products and the possibility of their commercialization;
– widespread use of information technologies in banking, consumer services, trade, transport and other industries;
– implementation of a number of investment projects in the field of smart cities, billing systems, etc.;
– creation of windows, platforms and systems for administration, registration, maintenance and electronic payments;
4) existing threats and risks in the field of artificial intelligence:
– brain drain and shortage of specialists;
– tough regional and international competition;
– lack of sources for financing projects and startups in the field of artificial intelligence;
– lack of wide access to the Internet and its high cost for users;
– relatively insufficient support for the development of the industry.
§4 Stages of Strategy implementation
62. The strategy has been developed for the next 18 years and will be implemented with the adoption of an action plan approved by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in 6 stages.
63. During the years of implementation of the first and second stages of the Strategy, the legal, institutional and infrastructural foundations will be formed, and the necessary specialists will be trained.
64. In the third and fourth stages of the Strategy, the import of technologies and the widespread use of elements of artificial intelligence will contribute to the development of public services, education, healthcare, industry and new technologies, financial and banking activities, safe and smart cities, public utilities and other areas.
65. In the fifth and sixth stages of the Strategy implementation, artificial intelligence will facilitate the management of technology and equipment in the social and economic spheres without the use of human force, and in this context, the speed of production, safety and targeted use of resources will be ensured.
4. PRIORITY DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES
§1. Artificial intelligence in the smartization of regions and their population
66. The first steps are being taken in the Republic of Tajikistan to implement artificial intelligence for the smartening of cities and their population. Safe city programs, billing systems and surveillance cameras have been implemented in the cities of Dushanbe and Khujand, which is important for the implementation of the main elements of artificial intelligence for the purpose of smartening cities.
67. The Safe City program in Dushanbe monitors and records violations of traffic rules using cameras. There are 600 such cameras in Dushanbe and the coverage of intracity roads by such cameras is 30-35 percent. Also, 855 CCTV cameras have been installed in Dushanbe to monitor and detect the movement of people, which can facilitate the introduction of artificial intelligence.
68. The billing system has been operating in the distribution networks of the city of Khujand since 2017, and some distribution networks of the cities of Dushanbe and Kulyab are currently connected to this system, which indicates the emergence of the possibility of introducing artificial intelligence. To date, 97,000 smart electronic meters have been connected in the city of Khujand and 170,416 smart electronic meters in the city of Dushanbe.
69. The project “Reduction of Electricity Losses in the Sino District of Dushanbe” is currently being implemented for a total of 34.5 million US dollars. The project envisages the installation of 125 thousand “smart” meters, a modern electricity metering system and other work related to the reduction of electricity losses.
70. At the same time, the system of electronic settlements in the distribution networks of cities and districts, the calculation of electricity consumption, accrued and paid amounts will be implemented through billing programs developed by domestic companies (Express Client, Smart billing). Based on modern methods implemented in the industry, in 2021, 14.2 million text messages were sent to subscribers with information on meter readings, energy consumption, electricity bills, payments and balances, which made it possible to increase the level of transparency in calculating electricity use compared to previous years, and this process will make a significant contribution to the development of artificial intelligence.
71. State Unitary Enterprise “Smart City” has launched a number of “smart” projects with the aim of digitalizing various sectors of the city of Dushanbe.
72. An electronic government system has been developed between the office of the Chairman of the city of Dushanbe and more than 32 organizations, institutions and enterprises of the executive body of state power of the city of Dushanbe.
73. The electronic program “eTib” in the field of healthcare has been developed specifically for doctors and patients and the project envisages the provision of electronic services, including electronic patient cards, the use of a notification system, electronic prescriptions, statistics, electronic guarantees, a remote registration system for patient appointments, etc. The implementation of this program is planned in 14 clinics in the city of Dushanbe.
74. Industry problems:
– lack of surveillance cameras in all cities and regions of the country;
– lack of specialists, i.e. human resources for the implementation of artificial intelligence;
– a relatively low level of knowledge and education of the population in the field of using artificial intelligence and in the smartization of houses, villages and towns;
– low speed and limited access to the Internet in cities and regions of the country;
– lack of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence: digital analysts, machine learning engineers, digital source administrators, machine learning operators, big data engineers, etc.
75. Industry objectives:
– ensuring favorable conditions for the population through the introduction of key elements of artificial intelligence into the socio-economic sphere and the smartization of cities.
76. The main tasks of the industry:
– full equipping of the city of Dushanbe and other cities of the country with a billing system;
– training of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence;
– raising public awareness and the level of knowledge of the urban population about artificial intelligence and, on this basis, developing innovative and creative thinking;
– implementation of artificial intelligence elements in video surveillance cameras and the Safe City system;
– creation of innovation and technology parks;
– strengthening digital commerce and e-governance;
– implementation of elements of electronic digital signature;
– attracting foreign investment and government funding for the development of digital technologies;
– provision of additional tax and customs benefits to innovative and technological parks of companies;
– study and implementation of world experience in the specified areas.
77. Key measures for the development of the industry:
– implementation of projects for the introduction of elements of artificial intelligence in public utilities and other areas;
– providing a reliable network and high-speed Internet;
– adoption in the shortest possible time of regulatory legal acts in the field of innovation and technology parks, artificial intelligence and improvement of legislation in the field of digital technologies;
– training of competitive personnel in the field of artificial intelligence, big data analysis, business intelligence and data analytics;
– development of special educational programs for training specialists in artificial intelligence to stimulate urban development;
– development and implementation of artificial intelligence programs in the field of machine learning, data analysis and engineering, programming and management of software development and implementation;
– definition of the legal mechanism for the use of artificial intelligence through public-private cooperation;
– implementation of artificial intelligence projects through public-private partnerships;
– creation of venture funds based on the public-private partnership model to finance technological research in the field of artificial intelligence and promising start-up projects in this area.
78. Expected results of the industry:
– as a key factor in achieving the goals of the Strategy, public awareness and the level of knowledge of the urban population about artificial intelligence will be increased;
– more than 40 artificial intelligence programs will be developed and successfully implemented in the field of machine learning, data analysis and design, programming and management of software development and implementation;
– the billing system will be fully implemented in the city of Dushanbe and other cities and regions of the country;
– the number of surveillance cameras will increase and elements of artificial intelligence will be introduced into them.
§2. Artificial intelligence in education and human potential
79. The Republic of Tajikistan has two privately funded artificial intelligence laboratories in Dushanbe and Khujand. These laboratories study and develop artificial intelligence algorithms in the financial and telecommunications sectors and other sectors of the economy.
80. The laboratories conduct extensive research in various socio-economic areas using technologies such as machine and deep learning, computer forecasting and language data processing.
81. Digitalization in the system of education, training and strengthening of human potential in the Republic of Tajikistan, implemented in accordance with the Medium-Term Program for the Development of the Digital Economy in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2021-2025, may in the future lead to the introduction of key elements of artificial intelligence.
82. The Technological University of Tajikistan and the Polytechnic Institute of the Tajik Technical University named after Academician Osimi in the city of Khujand, the branch of the Technological University of Tajikistan in the city of Isfara, and the Kulyab Institute of Management and Innovation Technologies have faculties and laboratories on artificial intelligence, where specialists are trained at the bachelor’s and master’s levels in the specialty of “artificial intelligence”.
83. The electronic program in the field of education “eDonish” is an electronic service that allows parents of students in educational institutions to be aware of the behavior and academic performance of their children through the use of modern information and communication technologies and receiving text messages on mobile phones. This program also includes many information elements, including electronic journals and diaries, schedules of basic and additional lessons, monitoring of student attendance and their level of education. Through the program, parents can also be informed about their children’s homework in academic subjects, teachers’ assignments and other necessary information that comes from the administration of the educational institution in the form of text messages.
84. The program is currently being implemented in 50 educational institutions in Dushanbe. Students’ entrances and exits are monitored by smart cameras. In 2022, the program will cover another 50 educational institutions.
85. Industry problems:
– lack of educational literature in the field of artificial intelligence in the state language;
– low level of technical and technological base of educational institutions;
– shortage of teaching staff in the field of artificial intelligence;
– insufficient educational programs in schools, universities and institutes;
– incomplete connection of educational institutions to the Internet;
– finding artificial intelligence at the initial stage of development;
– low level of use of modern technologies and digitalization, which may hinder the timely implementation of (elements of) artificial intelligence.
86. Industry objectives:
– providing favorable educational conditions for studying information technologies and strengthening the country’s intellectual potential;
– training of highly qualified and competitive personnel in the field of artificial intelligence.
87. The main tasks of the industry:
– implementation of an artificial intelligence educational process management program in comprehensive schools, colleges, lyceums, institutes and universities and other educational institutions;
– development of skills and talents in the field of artificial intelligence;
– development and implementation of artificial intelligence programs in the field of machine learning, data analysis and engineering, programming and management of software development and implementation;
– training of teachers in the field of artificial intelligence for educational institutions;
– providing educational institutions with information and communication technologies;
– training of highly qualified specialists in artificial intelligence, including data analysts and machine learning engineers at the level of professional education institutions of the country;
– training of specialists and a competitive workforce at the regional level in the field of artificial intelligence;
– organization of artificial intelligence clubs in additional education centers in cities and regions of the country;
– training of young scientists in the field of artificial intelligence in cooperation with international organizations at the master’s and postgraduate levels in educational institutions of developed countries.
88. Key measures for the development of the industry:
– creation of departments and faculties of artificial intelligence in at least 7 institutions of higher professional education in the Republic of Tajikistan by 2026;
– implementation of the subject “Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence” in vocational education institutions;
– training of artificial intelligence specialists for domestic and global companies in the form of outsourcing and outstaffing;
– development of television programs and organization of explanatory work through the media;
– conducting training courses in all regions of the country;
– solving the problem of full access of educational institutions at all levels of education to computers and high-speed Internet;
– determining the level of use of artificial intelligence technologies in the country;
– creation of the republican portal “Open Data” for conducting scientific research;
– raising public awareness of artificial intelligence as a key factor in achieving the goals of artificial intelligence;
– implementation of an artificial intelligence module within the framework of the course “Information Technology” in senior classes of secondary educational institutions;
– awareness of citizens and organizations about the benefits of using artificial intelligence;
– creation, with the involvement of international organizations, of artificial intelligence laboratories in densely populated regions of the country for the study and use of artificial intelligence technologies;
– taking into account the training of personnel in this field in the plans for admission of vocational education institutions and the classifier of specialties.
89. Expected results of the industry:
– by 2026, departments and faculties of artificial intelligence will be created in 7 institutions of higher professional education in the Republic of Tajikistan;
– by 2040, 5,000 highly qualified artificial intelligence specialists, including data analysts and machine learning engineers, will be trained in higher education institutions and training centers in the country;
– by 2026, the country will have three fully-fledged artificial intelligence laboratories developing artificial intelligence software;
– a program for professional training of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence will be developed by the end of the 2022-2023 academic year;
– industrial practice of undergraduate students of higher professional education institutions in the field of artificial intelligence will begin from the first year of study through summer practices in cooperation with private companies, laboratories and other organizations as part of the undergraduate education;
– pilot artificial intelligence clubs will be created in additional education centers in the cities of Dushanbe, Khujand, Bokhtar, Kulyab and Khorog;
– explanatory work will be carried out through the media;
– Olympiads and competitions in the field of artificial intelligence will be held at the mass level.
§3. Artificial intelligence in the implementation of e-government
90. In order to implement e-government in the Republic of Tajikistan, the Concept of e-government for 2012-2020 has been developed.
91. Based on this concept, the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Public Services” was adopted for the purpose of digitalization of public services.
92. Currently, a single state network has been created between state bodies, to which 48 entities of the bodies are connected.
93. Industry problems:
– insufficient use of the existing potential of e-government;
– relatively low level of development of infrastructure for public services;
– lack of qualified personnel in the field of information technology in the civil service;
– lack of a system for coordinating the provision of electronic government services;
– insufficient level of awareness about the use of electronic services.
94. The main objectives of the industry:
– improving state policy in the field of digital exchange and expanding access to electronic government services;
– increasing the efficiency of public administration and the effectiveness of industry regulation;
– improving the monitoring and evaluation system in the public administration system.
95. The main tasks of the industry:
– creation of favorable conditions for the provision of electronic government services;
– preparation of the appropriate infrastructure for the provision of electronic government services;
– establishing the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the processing, analysis and presentation of data in the electronic government services system;
– improving the quality of electronic government services;
– creation of favorable conditions for attracting highly qualified personnel in the field of information technology to the civil service;
– creation of a unified state database for the provision of electronic services and expansion of access to them;
– organizing campaigning work through the media, including state television channels;
– improving the monitoring and evaluation system in public administration using artificial intelligence.
96. Key measures for the development of the industry:
– providing a centralized system of electronic government services with elements of artificial intelligence;
– full equipping of government agencies with powerful information and communication technologies for the provision of electronic government services;
– improving the qualifications of all civil servants in the field of information technology;
– wider involvement of young specialists in the development of electronic government services based on the experience of implementing government services in foreign countries;
– creation and implementation of the republican portal “Open Data” for the creation of scientific research works and electronic government services;
– creation of a single center for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of strategic documents using artificial intelligence;
– definition of important statistical indicators for the use of artificial intelligence in the socio-economic sphere;
– ensuring access and collection of statistical indicators in each industry structure;
– identification of a coordinating body for the collection of statistical data and creation of a favorable environment for this process.
97. Expected results of the industry:
– a centralized system of electronic government services will be created using elements of artificial intelligence;
– government structures will be provided with powerful information and communication technologies for the provision of electronic government services;
– all civil servants employed in the field of information technology will undergo retraining;
– young specialists engaged in the development of electronic government services will be trained based on the experience of implementing government services in foreign countries;
– a national portal “Open Data” will be created to provide scientific research and electronic government services;
– a single monitoring and evaluation center will be created using artificial intelligence.
§4. Main directions of using artificial intelligence technologies in the accelerated industrialization of the country
98. Artificial intelligence technologies are a driving factor in industry and production and will make a significant contribution to the implementation of the fourth national goal of the Republic of Tajikistan – accelerated industrialization of the country.
99. Various industrial production processes are associated with large volumes of data, which creates favorable conditions for the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies. Large amounts of data in the industry allow manufacturers to simplify the decision-making process.
100. The use of artificial intelligence in various production processes is important and reduces production time and the incidence of defects in the production process.
101. Artificial intelligence technologies are used to study and evaluate the behavior of consumers of industrial products, demand for manufactured products, quality control and other areas.
102. Over the 30 years of independence, hundreds of small and large manufacturing enterprises have been revived and jobs have been created through the attraction of domestic and foreign investment; the number of enterprises has increased from 1,628 units in 1992 to 2,386 units in 2021.
103. Of the total number of enterprises, more than 1,000 units have modern equipment suitable for the implementation of artificial intelligence.
104. At the same time, a number of enterprises have outdated equipment and need new technologies and digitalization. In addition, as of December 31, 2021, 90 industrial enterprises and workshops with more than 200 jobs ceased operations in the industrial sector, which makes it impossible to implement elements of artificial intelligence at such enterprises.
105. Nevertheless, the introduction of artificial intelligence into innovative areas of industrial development can give impetus to the accelerated industrialization of the country.
106. Industry problems:
– the lack of an adequate system for forecasting demand for manufactured products on the market and the behavior of users (consumers) of industrial products;
– imperfect product quality management system;
– relatively low labor productivity in industrial enterprises and insufficient human resources potential of industrial companies;
– shortage of personnel in the field of information and communication technologies;
107. The main objectives of the industry:
– increasing the level of competitiveness of industrial products and their sales with the introduction of artificial intelligence in the industry;
– strengthening the process of accelerated industrialization of the country.
108. The main tasks of the industry:
– implementation of the fourth national goal – accelerated industrialization of the country by increasing the competitiveness of domestic products;
– ensuring the process of introducing innovative technologies into the industrial production process;
– improving the quality of products and increasing their sales;
– increasing the productivity of workers in the industrial sector;
– increasing the efficiency of creating clusters in the industrial sector using artificial intelligence.
109. Key measures for the development of the industry:
– development of technical regulations on the use of artificial intelligence in the industrial production process;
– implementation of advanced technologies related to artificial intelligence in industrial enterprises;
– creation of laboratories and service centers for industrial enterprises for the implementation of artificial intelligence;
– creation of favorable and safe conditions for workers of industrial enterprises using artificial intelligence.
110. Expected results:
– will have a significant impact on the implementation of the fourth national goal of the Republic of Tajikistan – accelerated industrialization of the country;
– industrial enterprises of the Republic of Tajikistan are introducing artificial intelligence technologies into the production process;
– carbon dioxide emissions will be significantly reduced through the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies;
– the quality of manufactured products will significantly improve due to the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies, the competitiveness of domestic products will increase;
– new jobs with favorable and safe working conditions will be created.
5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
111. The main objective of monitoring and evaluating the Strategy is to ensure the timely implementation of the Strategy by coordinating the activities of government agencies, mobilizing domestic and foreign financial resources, and their targeted and effective use based on the involvement of all stakeholders, including development partners.
112. The system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Strategy is intended to track progress in achieving goals, identify best practices and existing problems, analyze development processes within the framework of the Strategy itself, and develop substantiated conclusions for making possible changes and additions to the implementation of goals aimed at increasing its effectiveness.
113. The monitoring and evaluation system will be ensured through regular reporting, exchange of information between government agencies and assessment of the level of implementation of the Strategy’s objectives.
114. Monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy will be carried out at all stages of its implementation and will be assessed based on the timeliness of the implementation of the measures provided for in the action plan.
115. Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy will be carried out by the authorized state body on the basis of reports and proposals from state bodies.
116. All goals, objectives, measures/actions, as well as target indicators within the Strategy are developed based on SMART criteria (i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, important/relevant and timely).
117. The sources of information for organizing and conducting monitoring and evaluation of the process of implementing the Strategy are:
– state statistics (database of the Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan);
– departmental statistics (a database of interim data and annual reports of ministries and departments of the country);
– statistics of individual organizations/enterprises (database of organizations/enterprises and other economic entities without taking into account state statistics);
– alternative statistics (database of international institutions/organizations, independent research organizations and civil society organizations based on sociological surveys, sample surveys of regions, individual population groups, households or various other surveys).
118. If necessary, the authorized body for coordinating the system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation process of the Strategy, in agreement with the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, may establish other deadlines for the submission of information/data related to the implementation of the Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals.
119. Regular monitoring of mobilized financial resources increases responsibility at the administrative level for the targeted and effective use of resources, especially in the context of a large number of development areas requiring financing with limited resources.
120. An effective funding monitoring system requires a number of key components, such as:
– indicators of planned mobilization of funds for each source and direction;
– possible risks;
– actual indicators of mobilized resources for each source and direction;
– conducting regular collection of actual indicators (determining sources of information, methods of collecting them and responsible persons);
– conducting continuous analyses (comparison of actual and planned indicators and identification of differences);
– making decisions to improve actions if necessary.
121. The level of efficiency and quality of integration of these components will have a significant impact on the efficiency of the entire financial monitoring system, as well as on the success of the Strategy implementation.
122. Monitoring of financial support for the Strategy is carried out on the basis of initial data on the activities, the volumes of planned funds depending on its implementation, which are reflected in the activity plan.
123. This information is mainly aimed at identifying the reasons for the delays from planned indicators, as well as proposing solutions for their correction or making changes to the Action Plan in order to remove activities that are not funded for various reasons.
124. All reporting data on resources from all sources will be submitted to the coordinating body for monitoring and evaluation (the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan), which will analyze the overall situation related to the financing of activities.
6. FINANCING THE STRATEGY
125. The implementation of the priorities and activities of the Strategy will be ensured by all types of sources of financing. Sources of financing for the activities of the Strategy include funds from the state budget, development partners and the private sector; other sources of financing not prohibited by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan may also be used in the implementation of its activities.
126. The assessment of the financing needs of the Strategy will be carried out in stages.
127. At all stages of the Strategy implementation, the estimated cost of the activities included in the action matrix is calculated, including from the following sources of funding:
– state budget funds;
– funds from development partners (including official aid);
– funds from the private (domestic and foreign) sector.
128. The resulting financial gap between the need to finance planned activities within the framework of the Strategy’s objectives and the indicators of the economy’s maximum resource potential will be covered by attracting foreign and domestic private investment.
7. FINAL PROVISIONS
129. The authorized state body in the field of artificial intelligence, in cooperation with the relevant ministries and departments and other relevant institutions, will take the necessary measures to implement this Strategy. 1