TEHRAN – Iranian and Iraqi officials have agreed to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), by establishing a joint AI centre in Iran.
At a meeting held on Monday, science, technology and knowledge-based economic vice president Hossein Afsin and Iraqi Prime Minister’s vice-chief of staff, Ali Razoki Hussein, discussed ways to promote relations between the two countries, the IRIB reported.
Iranian officials have proposed launching a joint AI centre that has been well received by the Iraqi side.
Promoting cooperation in the field of science and technology is essential to moving forward and building a shared future. Supporting innovation, technology and knowledge-based companies is one of the country’s top priorities. There are 10,000 knowledge-based companies that manufacture 18,000 knowledge-based products in the medical, industrial and military fields. There are also around 30 science and technology parks in the country, and Irib quotes Afshin as saying it has a responsibility to connect universities and industries.
The main goal of the proposed project is to boost relations between the two countries beyond academic cooperation. The company also aims to expand collaboration with the Persian Gulf countries through joint projects. The centre will serve the Persian Gulf and will be developed as an AI hub for the region, officials noted.
Emphasizing Iran’s capabilities in AI, Afshin said since the 1970s, Iran has been training personnel in the technical field at Sharif University of Technology. Separately, the government has begun teaching AI to students. Officials have announced that they are ready to share expertise in the field and help Iraq launch the same educational programme.
Razooqi said: “We are well aware of the importance of artificial intelligence, and have started teaching at universities, and are fully aware of the capabilities of Iranian scientists.
Sharif University of Technology and Baghdad University have already discussed the establishment of a joint centre. Therefore, it is essential to develop shared infrastructure and agree to a common goal. ”
Emphasizing that AI is not a goal alone, but a means of achieving other ends, officials said it can benefit from artificial intelligence in areas such as water, energy, the environment and agriculture.
Officials went on to say military production, light and half-heavy weapons, climate change, water shortages, cloud sowing, sand and sandstorms are among other opportunities for cooperation, and that AI plays an important role in all areas mentioned.
Both sides agreed to form a joint working group with the first session to be held in Baghdad, and focused on launching joint technical cooperation between Iran and Iraq.
Tehran, Baghdad Ink Action Plan for Science Cooperation
In January, Iran and Iraq signed a plan of action to boost scientific cooperation.
The action plan was signed by Ministry of Science official Omid Rezaei-Far and reported on the first day of Iraqi Science Week in Iraq Haider Abd Dahhed, Deputy Minister of Iraqi Science and Research, Iraqi Science and Research, on the first day of Iraqi Science Week.
The second Iran-Iraq Science Week is being held in Karbara, Iraq. The scientific event begins on Saturday and ends on Monday.
The Joint Science Program was developed to focus on a variety of aspects, including increasing cooperation in granting scholarships to graduate and graduate education, particularly within the framework entitled “Iraq Research.”
It also includes holding training courses for professors and students. Promote cooperation on joint science supervision. They exchange professors to carry out scientific research and work together under Iraq’s higher education and scientific research to establish a science and technology park.
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