TEHRAN – The first international exhibition on artificial intelligence will be held from January 12-15 at the Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.

More than 50 knowledge-based companies will participate in the exhibition with a focus on five strategic fields of environment, energy, health, security, and education, IRNA reported.

The four-day event aims to promote the role of artificial intelligence in dealing with the main challenges of the country in a tangible way.

Platforms and technologies based on artificial intelligence, the use of artificial intelligence in industries, emerging technologies, urban and social approaches, and creative industries are the topics of the event.

The event will showcase the latest innovations and achievements in AI at national and global levels.

The exhibition will organize specialized panels on AI applications in various industries, such as healthcare, energy, urban development, finance, and manufacturing.

Conducting hands-on educational workshops, the exhibition will serve as a great opportunity to share expertise, promote business cooperation, and hold B2B and B2G networking in different sectors
With the rapid growth in AI startups and tech-enabled industries in the country, the expo is expected to stimulate large-scale investment and lay the ground for the export of indigenous AI technologies.

In August 2025, Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and mobile health in managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Developing a smart healthcare system and increasing public awareness through preventive education and the promotion of health literacy are the key points in the future of the healthcare system, IRNA quoted Zafarqandi as saying. The adoption of modern technologies is unavoidable, so these tools can be employed to reduce costs and facilitate access to services, he added.

According to Nature Index, the country’s ranking in scientific production in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has improved from 33 to 30, placing the country among the top 50 leaders, Hossein Afshin, an official with the vice-presidency of science and technology, has said.

Iran’s ranking in the region fluctuates between 14 to 17, which is mainly due to focusing on quality, he said, adding, “We’re optimistic to improve the country’s scientific position within the next two years,” IRNA reported.

The official went on to say that the country is following up on developing AI infrastructure, including the AI platform and the AI assistant, in the near future.

According to the latest report by Oxford Insights index, which measures government readiness for implementing AI in public services, Iran ranks 91st among 188 countries, moving up three positions compared to 94th in 2023.

AI has a key role to play –not just in governing the technology, but in helping governments perform better.

The Government AI Readiness Index has become a trusted resource for policymakers, adopted as an official benchmark by national governments.

In this year’s edition, the AI readiness of 188 countries is examined at a time of growing complexity, where governments face evolving citizen needs and challenges like economic uncertainty, climate risks, and rising inequalities.

The 2024 index examines 40 indicators across three pillars: Government, Technology Sector, and Data & Infrastructure. It highlights progress, identifies gaps, and provides actionable insights for policymakers working to integrate AI into public service delivery.

At its core, the index asks, ‘How ready are governments to implement AI in the delivery of public services?’ By answering this question, it aims to offer a practical tool that supports evidence-based decision-making and helps policymakers unlock AI’s potential to serve citizens better worldwide.

Accordingly, the country’s best ranking is in the Data and Infrastructure pillar, 66.29, which has improved compared to 55.88 last year. It includes infrastructure (70), data availability (43), and data representativeness (121) indicators.

The Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology has announced the finalization of an artificial intelligence (AI) action plan, which highlights the pivotal role of AI in the country’s scientific advancement.

The plan has been developed in cooperation with the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, IRNA reported.

The action plan was unveiled during a meeting held on Wednesday, with the presence of First Vice-President, Mohammad-Reza Aref.

The main pillars of the action plan include ‘transformation in education and training human resources, ‘empowering research and innovation capacity building', ‘promoting and commercializing AI’, ‘expanding science diplomacy and international cooperation’, and ‘improving the scientific status of the country'.

Empowering research and innovation capacity building involves the establishment of five national laboratories in selected universities, development of interdisciplinary majors at post-graduate programs focusing on AI, the inclusion of ‘AI and digital transformation’ for undergraduate students, essential for engineering majors, and supplementary for other majors.

Promoting and commercializing AI focuses on selecting and supporting a number of universities as the country’s AI research and development center. Supporting the development of at least 3 fundamental AI models (including language vision models) based on domestic data, and launching a platform to collect and share research and educational data in a secure way.

Expanding science diplomacy and international cooperation highlights expediting the formation and growth of AI startups and holding AI competitions.

Expanding science diplomacy and international cooperation involves enhancing educational and research collaborations with top universities from Shanghai and BRICS member states, as well as members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Cooperation on AI regulations, standardization, and collaboration with Iranian elites and experts living abroad are among other goals.

Improving the scientific standing of the country underlines maintaining and improving the country’s international ranking in AI, indexing at least 8 specialized journals in the first and second quartiles, increasing support for top researchers and patents, as well as strengthening scientific associations and national AI networking.