TEHRAN – The Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology plans to launch 15 artificial intelligence (AI) laboratories at universities across the country to develop and test fundamental AI models.

The headquarters for AI technology development has been established in this regard, IRNA quoted Mohammad-Hadi Zahedi, an official with the science ministry, as saying.

Reference laboratories will be set up at top universities, proportional to their scientific work, publications, and products, as well as the number of students and professors, Zahedi said.

The establishment of a specialized working group for the development of educational courses with a focus on interdisciplinary training programs in AI, he added.

Launching an AI development fund, addressing and maintaining AI privacy, security, data governance, and regulatory compliance are among the issues that need to be considered, Zahedi concluded.

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 and 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 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.

MT/MG