Uzbekistan Prioritizes Jobs in AI Strategy – Minister

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s key priority in the development of artificial intelligence is the creation of new jobs and improving the quality of life for citizens, Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov said at a session on the digital future held during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The minister said Uzbekistan is demonstrating some of the highest economic growth rates in the world and has created favourable conditions for the development of the IT sector in recent years.

He noted that while only four companies with foreign capital were registered in IT Park in 2017, more than 70 new offices of foreign companies are now being opened in the country every month.

“Our goal is to bring remote work to Uzbekistan instead of sending our people abroad to work,” Shermatov said.

The minister recalled that, according to the latest StartupBlink ranking, Uzbekistan was recognized as the country with the fastest-growing startup ecosystem and was named “Country of the Year”.

Highlighting the country’s competitive advantages, Shermatov stressed the importance of human capital.

“Our main asset is human capital. We are trying to use both digitalization and artificial intelligence to create opportunities for its growth,” he said.

He emphasized that Uzbekistan’s artificial intelligence strategy is built on a human-centric approach. According to him, the government supports projects that help people improve their quality of life and increase their income.

“If artificial intelligence improves people’s lives, we implement such projects. If artificial intelligence helps our people earn more, we implement such projects. All other projects are not very interesting to us,” the minister said.

Shermatov also said Uzbekistan does not aim to develop its own large language models to compete with global developers, stressing that the main priority is job creation and simplifying people’s lives.

Key sectors for AI adoption include healthcare and education, he added, noting that these areas are essential for developing human capital.

He also invited foreign companies to open offices in Uzbekistan, pointing to existing tax incentives for the IT sector.

“We invite you to open offices here. We have a lot of young people. We will train them according to your requirements,” he said.

The minister also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in the digital economy and remote services. He said regulatory clarity on cross-border data flows is needed to further develop international service centres and remote employment opportunities.

“This would help reduce costs for companies from the Russian Federation and create remote jobs in Uzbekistan,” Shermatov added.