Photo: IT Park
Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the key areas of technology development in the world. He is changing approaches to business, education, medicine and creativity. This is especially important for Tajikistan: in recent years, the country has been actively discussing digital transformation, the development of the IT sector and the introduction of modern solutions in various fields.
It is in this context that the AI NEXT FORUM has become an important event – the first forum in the country entirely dedicated to artificial intelligence.
Location and atmosphere
The forum was held on August 16 this year in the modern space of IT Park Dushanbe. This place has become a symbolic choice: IT Park is now the center of technological initiatives in the country.
In the morning, young professionals, entrepreneurs and business representatives gathered in its main hall. The atmosphere was businesslike and inspiring at the same time – the participants discussed the possibilities of AI with interest and closely followed the speakers' speeches.
The opening ceremony was held solemnly, with welcoming words from the organizers. After that, a rich program of the forum began, which included expert presentations, panel discussions and practical workshops.
Speakers' speeches
One of the key moments of the forum was a panel discussion moderated by the head of the Association for Digital Development of Tajikistan, Mahmud Davlatov. It was attended by representatives of the Dushanbe IT Park, the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies, UNICEF, Alif Bank and Tcell.
The participants discussed the role of AI in education, business, and telecommunications, and stressed that for successful digital transformation, the country needs close cooperation between government, business, and international organizations.
In addition, individual speakers spoke at the forum and master classes were held.
For example, Temur Khisamutdinov, director of the Dushanbe IT Park, spoke about the work of the park, the benefits of residency and the requirements for companies that want to join.
He also noted that today among the residents of the IT Park there are promising projects working with artificial intelligence technologies.
The presentation by Zarina Achilova, founder and CEO of Tamos Consulting, aroused great interest. She presented the topic "AI in the customer experience: a new era of call centers." According to her, the introduction of AI assistants makes it possible to increase the accuracy of operator responses by up to 97%, accelerate employee adaptation through gamification and training with AI.
Practice shows that a business gets a 20% revenue increase and a 30% reduction in maintenance costs.
Journalist Alina Valamat-Zadeh spoke on the topic "The future of creative professions in the era of artificial intelligence." At the beginning of her speech, she showed an example of the most ancient art discovered by archaeologists: a rock painting in Indonesia depicting a wild boar, which is about 45 thousand years old. In that era, people only knew how to use stone tools, and from that moment on, humanity has come a long way – from simple images to paintings created by artificial intelligence and estimated today at half a million dollars.
Concluding her speech, Alina compared the changes that AI brings with the industrial revolution. Back then, people were also afraid of the new and tried to ban development – Luddists destroyed cars in order to preserve the usual way of life.
Today, similar concerns are voiced about artificial intelligence. But, experts say, there is no need to be afraid: temporary recessions and job cuts are inevitable, but professions will not disappear, but will transform, opening up new opportunities.
Malik Malikov, digital marketing expert and CO/CEO at Lido, shared a practical view on the use of technology. In his speech, he noted that up to 80% of applications are lost when a business does not have time to respond to customers on time. The solution to this problem is the automation of correspondence and lead generation using AI.
Unlike humans, artificial intelligence responds instantly, does not get tired, and can work in all communication channels at once.
Besides them, other experts spoke at the forum: Rustam Gulov, Manuchehr Gafforzoda, Mirzodaler Mukhsinzoda, Sergey Shulgin and Shokhrukh Rustamov. Each of them shared their experiences and views on how AI is changing business processes, education, and investment approaches.
Special attention should be paid to the parallel workshops that took place within the framework of the forum. Participants could get to know AI tools for content creation, educational applications, and process automation in practice.
These sessions gathered a large number of listeners and allowed the participants to gain not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical experience working with technology.
A look into the future
The AI NEXT FORUM was the first artificial intelligence forum in Tajikistan, but, as the organizers noted, it definitely won't be the last. The event was organized by IT Park Dushanbe, the Association of Digital Development of the Republic of Tajikistan and the A.I. Sino Club with the support of the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The key partner was the Council on Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies, and among the official partners of the forum were Dushanbe City Bank, UNICEF in Tajikistan, Honor and 28 Monkeys.
The organizers emphasized that everyone can join the AI Sino Club community, as well as follow the news and new events on the pages of IT Park Dushanbe and the Association for Digital Development of the Republic of Tajikistan.
