Tajik officials are proposing the creation of a regional mechanism in Central Asia to legally regulate “new technologies,” including artificial intelligence.

Tajikistan, along with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, have announced government programmes to develop their respective IT/AI sectors. Kazakhstan has gone so far as to establish a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, while Tajikistan’s digital infrastructure at present lags far behind that of its Central Asian neighbours.

Speaking at a regional forum in Bishkek on December 10 dedicated to digital issues, Shohnazar Kholnazarzoda, the deputy head of Tajikistan’s Communications Service, said AI development would benefit from unified legal standards in Central Asia to ensure “digital security.” 

“The main topic of the forum was the search for a stable balance between innovation and its legal regulation,” according to a statement issued by the Tajik Communications Service.

Tajikistan features one of the most repressive political systems in the world, according to watchdog group assessments. Some observers saw Kholnazarzoda’s comments as an appeal for a more deliberate approach on regional AI development to ensure that the emergence of new technologies does not have unintended consequences, such as eroding a government’s ability to retain control over the flow of information and political discourse. 

Even if Tajik leaders have concerns about AI, they seem eager to embrace new technologies. In an address to the nation’s legislature on December 16, Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon announced the creation of a National Corporation for Artificial Intelligence with authorisation to formulate a sectoral development plan for the next 15 years. 

At a November meeting of Central Asian leaders, Rahmon proposed the creation of a regional AI Centre based in Dushanbe.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.