Global Peacock Diversity: Number of Species and Their Habitats

The President issued an instruction regarding the need to increase the number and expand the scope of projects related to artificial intelligence. During a presentation dedicated to the development of the artificial intelligence ecosystem under Shavkat Mirziyoyev's leadership, it was noted that the number of AI-based projects implemented in the economy and social sphere must be increased by more than 100 this year.

Solutions being developed in areas such as medicine, energy, transport, customs, legal services, public safety, ecology, and geology were presented.

The importance of systematic cooperation with residents of IT-Park, startups, and more than twenty artificial intelligence laboratories was emphasized. It is expected that the number of residents working in this field will reach 300 this year, the volume of services provided by them will amount to 2 trillion UZS, and exports will reach 160 million dollars.

Attention was drawn to the fact that the effectiveness of AI solutions directly depends on a high-quality database. Therefore, a task was set to process existing data in ministries and departments, ensure its completeness, reliability, and consistency, as well as form high-quality datasets in interdisciplinary fields.

The issue of personnel training was also discussed separately. To date, over 1.5 million users have received special certificates in artificial intelligence. Furthermore, a goal was set to fully implement the 'Five Million AI Leaders' project within the next two years.

The presentation also listed the Republic's achievements in the field of artificial intelligence over recent years.

Iraqi officials, during a meeting with the Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simai-Sarraf, called for expanding scientific, academic, and technological interaction with Iran. This meeting took place in Baghdad on Thursday.

Participants in the negotiations included Haider Abd-Dahd Al-Rubai, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Iraq; Abdul Hussein Al-Musawi, Minister of Health of Iraq; and Abdul Hussein Al-Musawi, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, as reported by IRNA.

The parties emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of previously signed memoranda of understanding. The main areas of discussion included sharing Iran's experience in developing higher education to achieve quantitative and qualitative goals, meeting the needs of Iraq's large youth population, attracting talented Iraqi students, and strengthening research partnerships.

Simai-Sarraf also met with Sayed Ammar Al-Hakim, leader of the National Movement of Wisdom in Iraq. Both sides noted the significant scientific and academic potential of Iran and Iraq, exchanging views on strategies for advancing scientific cooperation, expanding joint research, and developing academic ties between the two countries' universities.

Promoting Scientific and Technical Ties

In April, Simai-Sarraf and Al-Aboudi highlighted the necessity of activating scientific and technological cooperation between the two states. Furthermore, ways to develop joint work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) using the capabilities of both nations were discussed.

During the meeting held in Tehran on April 18, Al-Aboudi stated that the issue of establishing a branch of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iraq was included in the agenda. For his part, Simai-Sarraf expressed Iran's readiness to share its scientific, research, and educational achievements with Iraq to improve bilateral relations.

According to the official, Iranian and Iraqi students have already conducted a total of 350 joint research projects, which requires improvement given the available opportunities. Simai-Sarraf mentioned the upcoming Iran-Iraq Science Week, scheduled in the provinces of Isfahan and Fars. He noted that the event was postponed due to the war imposed by the US and Israel but will be held at the earliest opportunity.

As agreed by the two officials, AI and smart education will be topics of discussion at the Iran-Iraq Science Week. This event is expected to serve as a basis for holding a joint AI conference in the near future.

The parties held a meeting in Baghdad in January. During this meeting, the Iraqi minister welcomed Iran's experience in creating science and technology parks. He added: 'During my previous visits to Iran, I visited its science and technology parks and familiarized myself with Iran's impressive capabilities in the technology sector.' He also noted: 'The legal framework for establishing science and technology parks in Iraq has now been developed, and we are ready to utilize Iran's experience in this area.'

Al-Aboudi stressed that strengthening academic cooperation between Iran and Iraq would allow for the synergy of the scientific potentials of both countries to solve common problems. The second Iran-Iraq Science Week took place in Karbala, Iraq, from January 18 to 20, aimed at strengthening bilateral scientific, academic, and technological relations. Both countries signed an action plan to stimulate their scientific cooperation.

This plan was signed by Omid Rezaei-Far, an employee of the Ministry of Science, and Haider Abd Dahd, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Iraq. Joint scientific programs were developed focusing on various aspects, including increasing cooperation in providing postgraduate scholarships, especially under the 'study in Iraq' program. They also provided for conducting training courses for professors and students, facilitating joint scientific supervision, faculty exchange for scientific research, and the joint creation of science and technology parks in Iraq under the management of the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.