All district and city governors to have advisers on AI and digitalization

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced these initiatives at a meeting held on October 21.

The president emphasized that deputy ministers and sectoral leaders responsible for digitalization will now also be accountable for advancing AI in their respective fields.

All ministries and regional administrations have been instructed to establish dedicated units for AI development within their structures. These divisions will be tasked with using AI to improve efficiency and service quality, reduce excessive spending, curb the shadow economy, and cut bureaucracy.

A group of 100 high-performing specialists with strong technological backgrounds and foreign language proficiency will undergo six-month training programs in countries such as the United States, European nations, Singapore, and Japan.

Starting from 2026, a national rating system will be introduced to assess the level of AI implementation across ministries and regions.

According to the president, Uzbekistan had initially set a goal to reach $1.5 billion in AI-based services by 2030, but foreign experts have estimated the country’s potential at around $10 billion.

Mirziyoyev stressed that the Ministry of Digital Technologies must intensify its efforts, while ministers, governors, and sectoral heads should dedicate at least one day per week to developing this field.

“When ministers and governors travel abroad, they see how artificial intelligence contributes to economic development and how it makes life easier for citizens and businesses. Can we achieve the same? Of course, we can,” he said.

The president cited examples of companies that have already reduced expenses by up to 10 percent through digitalizing their business processes and noted that introducing AI could further enhance efficiency.

Some government agencies are already implementing AI-based solutions. The Ministry of Justice and the Tax Committee have launched 24/7 online consultation systems powered by AI. The Customs Committee has introduced an AI-based risk management system, while the geology sector is developing a video analysis system that uses AI to increase the metal yield from ore by 1–2 percent – potentially generating an additional $20 million annually from copper mining alone.

At the same meeting, Mirziyoyev instructed all governors of regional capitals and Tashkent districts to introduce the “Smart City” system by the end of the year. Under this initiative, a situational center will be established to integrate utilities, management and service companies, transportation, roads, landscaping, and waste management enterprises into a unified system.