TEHRAN – Acting President Mohammad Mokhber has ordered government bodies to implement the national document on the development of artificial intelligence which had been ratified on June 18.

On December 3, 2023, the late President Ebrahim Raisi issued an executive order for the establishment of the 'National Steering Committee and the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center'.

Accordingly, the science and technology headquarters was assigned to compile the document in cooperation with the ministries and executive bodies by utilizing the resources and expertise of universities and research institutes.

The first national conference on artificial intelligence (AI) in education and learning is scheduled to be held in Tehran on October 9.

The use of AI-driven technologies in education and learning as a transformative element has not only helped to promote the quality and efficiency of the educational process but has also provided different individuals with cutting-edge technologies and smart solutions, ISNA reported.

Precisely analyzing educational data and providing instant feedback has improved students’ assessment and educational content production.

The main objective of the conference is to raise awareness of modern technologies and their applications in education and learning systems.

It also focuses on three major axes: recognizing challenges and capabilities; establishing a dynamic and collaborative environment, as well as discovering assessment and evaluation methods based on emerging technologies.

The participants will explore views on various topics like artificial intelligence, medical and engineering education, educational design and content production,  human resources development, educational assessment and evaluation, artificial intelligence in the future of education and ethical considerations, as well as artificial intelligence and schools.

National center for AI

The National Artificial Intelligence Center was inaugurated on July 10 in a ceremony attended by Acting President Mohammad Mokhber.

Creating a complete and stable chain of ideas to market in AI, benefiting from AI for the economic progress of the country, planning to achieve a leading and sustainable position among the countries of the world, as well as identifying and nurturing talents in the field of AI are among the most important tasks of the national AI center, IRNA reported.

By allocating 50 trillion rials (some $100 million), the public and the private sector will develop the infrastructure for artificial intelligence operators in the next calendar year, which starts on March 21.

"Iran ranks 17th in artificial intelligence in terms of scientific production and publication of articles in the world, while ranks 78th in terms of its application in the world,” Rouhollah Dehqani-Firouzabadi, Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-based Economy, said.

The importance of artificial intelligence cannot be denied. However, it’s hard to keep pace with the rapid [global] growth in the area, he added, IRNA reported.

He made the remarks while attending the first meeting of the national steering committee’s working group on artificial intelligence.

The main objective behind founding the national steering committee is to promote and develop AI in the country with the help of both the private sector and the public sector, he added.

Dehqani-Firouzabadi went on to say that the national committee is not seeking to hold a share in management. It aims to facilitate and coordinate the development of AI by developing a streamlined, dynamic, and synergetic structure. It also endeavors to pave the way for individuals to participate in the development of artificial intelligence.

Plans to develop AI

The Vice Presidency has prepared three comprehensive plans to develop artificial intelligence in different sectors.

Currently, artificial intelligence is the first priority for the development of technology and is pursued with three programs, IRNA quoted Firouzabadi as saying

Artificial intelligence is a comprehensive technology and affects all other areas of technology, he highlighted.

“The plans in the field of artificial intelligence include scientific development programs that are mostly pursued in universities. The second plan is technology development programs that are pursued in companies that work in the field of artificial intelligence. And the third plan is the creation of a national technology hub in the field of artificial intelligence."

Iran to become a leading country in AI

In January 2022, Shahram Moein, head of the innovation and development center of artificial intelligence at the Research Institute of Information and Communication Technology, said, “Iran will be placed among the top 10 countries in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2032 based on the national document on artificial intelligence strategy.”

The study of the national artificial intelligence development roadmap started two years ago at the Research Institute of Information and Communication Technology and was officially completed by the end of November 2021.

“To draft this document, strategic documents of 23 countries in the field of artificial intelligence were evaluated so that areas such as environment, health, transportation, online education, energy, robotics, industry, agriculture, and security development are among the priority areas of AI.

Among the goals of this document are 80 percent of research to meet the needs of the country, the use of 45 percent of artificial intelligence in industries, $8 billion investment in artificial intelligence, and a 12 percent share of AI in the GDP,” he explained.

According to a report released by the Web of Science database, Iran ranks first for the highest number of documents in artificial intelligence (AI) among Islamic countries.

The country issued 2,638 AI documents between 2013 and 2022.

Saudi Arabia (2,465) and Turkey (2,303) were ranked second and third, respectively, IRIB reported.

Iran has also been ranked 14th worldwide in artificial intelligence.

Based on the report, the country ranks second in 3D printing and robotics, fourth in the Internet of Things, fifth in 5th generation (5G) communication technologies and big data, seventh in drone technology, and eighth in blockchains among Islamic nations.

The most scientific productions in the last ten years in artificial intelligence have been respectively related to Tehran University, Tabriz University, and Amir Kabir University of Technology.

Also, the data analysis shows that the number of scientific productions of artificial intelligence has improved in the last five years, reaching 577 documents in 2022 from 157 documents in 2018.

Robotics with 1,596 documents, and the Internet of Things with 1,270 documents followed artificial intelligence in terms of scientific production.

Blockchains with 7 documents had the lowest scientific production in the ten-year period.

MG