Uzbekistan will join the Asian Development Bank's "Digital Highway for Asia" initiative.

Uzbekistan will join the ADB's "Digital Highway for Asia" initiative. This was announced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank being held in Samarkand.

 

It is noted that today, digital technology and artificial intelligence are bringing almost all sectors into a completely new format. According to World Trade Organization forecasts, by 2040, international trade turnover will increase by an additional 40 percent due to artificial intelligence.

 

In particular, serious efforts have been launched in Uzbekistan to develop information technologies. The establishment of an Innovation and Knowledge-based Artificial Intelligence Hub has begun. Work is underway on over 200 artificial intelligence projects in various sectors of the economy.

 

Programs are being implemented to increase the number of data centers, supercomputers, and artificial intelligence laboratories in the regions, as well as to train "Five Million Artificial Intelligence Leaders."

 

"I would like to especially emphasize that the Asian Development Bank and our partners from the USA, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Korea, and China are providing us with close assistance in these areas," — said the President.

 

There is also a demand to use open artificial intelligence models in areas most essential for the primary needs of the population, such as education, medicine, water management, ecology, and food security.

 

To this end, the President proposed developing a separate program under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank to scale up artificial intelligence in developing countries.

 

Furthermore, Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced Uzbekistan's accession to the bank's "Digital Highway for Asia" initiative and put forward a proposal to open its regional coordination center in Tashkent.