The Intelligence of Tomorrow Needs the Wisdom of Nations: Uzbekistan Charts a Safe AI Future Through International Cooperation

THE world is entering an unprecedented technological transformation, one in which artificial intelligence is no longer merely a tool for innovation but an increasingly influential force shaping economies, governments, societies and international relations. Yet, as the capabilities of artificial intelligence expand, so too does the responsibility of nations to ensure that technological progress serves humanity rather than exposes it to new vulnerabilities.

Against this backdrop, the international conference on Artificial Intelligence Safety, scheduled for November 6, 2026, in Astana, Kazakhstan, carries significance extending far beyond technological discussions. The anticipated participation of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscores the strategic importance attached to this emerging global agenda and reflects the growing commitment of Central Asian countries to shaping the international debate on responsible technological development.

The central question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will transform the world. That transformation is already underway. The more consequential question is whether governments can establish the international frameworks, institutional safeguards and technological partnerships necessary to ensure that this transformation remains secure, inclusive and sustainable.

Artificial Intelligence: A New Engine of Economic Transformation

Artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining the foundations of economic productivity. By automating repetitive activities, accelerating decision-making and processing enormous volumes of information, AI enables businesses to reduce operating costs, improve efficiency and unlock new opportunities for innovation.

Governments, too, stand to benefit from these developments through faster public services, more effective administration and improved allocation of public resources.

The scale of the economic transformation is reflected in investment trends. According to the figures cited in the article, the International Monetary Fund estimates that investment in AI infrastructure is helping sustain global economic growth at approximately 3%, while contributing an additional 0.2–0.8 percentage points to growth in developing Asian economies. Global investment in AI reached $167.7 billion in 2025, according to McKinsey, with substantial funding directed toward data centers, cloud infrastructure and advanced AI models.

These developments demonstrate that artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic economic asset, comparable in importance to energy infrastructure, industrial capacity and advanced telecommunications.

For Uzbekistan, the opportunity is particularly significant. Its ambition to develop an AI-based services market worth $10 billion by 2030 reflects an understanding that technological transformation can become a powerful driver of economic diversification, investment attraction and international competitiveness.

Uzbekistan: From Digital Ambition to Institutional Transformation

One of the most significant aspects of Uzbekistan’s approach is the decision to advance technological development alongside legal and institutional regulation.

The country’s Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy through 2030, approved in October 2024, establishes an ambitious framework for expanding AI-based services, developing research laboratories and improving Uzbekistan’s international position in technological readiness.

The subsequent legislative measures are equally important. In January 2026, Uzbekistan established a formal legal definition of artificial intelligence and introduced provisions requiring human oversight of decisions affecting citizens’ rights. The legislation also addressed the unlawful processing of personal data through AI, while ethical rules for the use of these technologies were approved in March 2026.

This parallel development of innovation and regulation deserves particular attention. Technological advancement without effective legal safeguards can undermine public confidence, compromise personal privacy and create new forms of discrimination. Conversely, excessive restrictions can discourage investment and weaken innovation.

The challenge for policymakers is therefore to establish a balanced regulatory environment that protects citizens without obstructing scientific progress.

Uzbekistan’s investment in computing infrastructure, including its NVIDIA-based supercomputer commissioned in July 2026, demonstrates the practical dimension of this strategy. Its planned expansion of computing capacity, alongside preferential access for universities, research institutions and startups, could strengthen the foundations of a domestic innovation ecosystem.

Equally important is the integration of AI into everyday public services, including taxation, justice and customs administration. The planned implementation of at least 100 AI-based projects across healthcare, energy, banking, transportation and agriculture by the end of 2026 illustrates the transition from isolated technological experiments toward broader institutional adoption.

Cybersecurity: The Invisible Battlefield of the Digital Age

However, the expansion of artificial intelligence brings a parallel challenge: the growing sophistication of cybercrime.

The same technologies that enable governments to detect suspicious financial transactions and protect digital infrastructure can also be exploited by criminals to create convincing fraudulent communications, develop malicious software and conduct increasingly complex attacks.

In this environment, traditional cybersecurity mechanisms are no longer sufficient on their own. Security systems must evolve at a pace comparable to the technologies they are designed to protect.

Uzbekistan’s experience illustrates the urgency of this challenge. The reported 48-fold increase in cybercrime incidents over six years, together with the fact that 82% of fraud cases in 2025 occurred in the digital environment, highlights the scale of the problem.

Nevertheless, the country’s response offers an example of how AI itself can become an instrument of protection. An AI-based system developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Central Bank reportedly prevented illegal transfers totaling 29 trillion sums and blocked more than 18,800 suspicious bank cards during the first half of 2026.

The strategic lesson is clear: the battle against digital crime cannot be won through national measures alone. Cyberattacks cross borders, exploit international networks and target interconnected financial and information systems. Effective protection therefore requires intelligence-sharing mechanisms, common security standards, technical cooperation and coordinated international action.

Energy and Water: The Hidden Costs of Artificial Intelligence

There is another dimension of AI development that deserves greater international attention: its growing demand for natural resources.

Behind every advanced AI model lies an extensive physical infrastructure of data centers, processors, cooling systems and electricity networks. The digital world may appear intangible, but its foundations are deeply connected to the material resources of the planet.

According to the International Energy Agency, data centers accounted for approximately 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024. Their electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2030, reaching 945 terawatt-hours.

For Uzbekistan, the challenge is particularly substantial. The planned data center projects, with a combined capacity of approximately 1.4 gigawatts, could consume around 12.2 billion kilowatt-hours annually at full utilization.

This makes the expansion of electricity generation, renewable energy and nuclear power an essential component of the country’s digital transformation.

Water presents an equally important concern. Cooling large computing facilities can require considerable quantities of water, particularly when evaporative cooling technologies are used. At the projected 1.4-gigawatt continuous load, the estimated consumption under the stated cooling assumptions could reach approximately 60,000 cubic meters daily.

For a country facing significant water constraints, this is not simply an engineering consideration. It is a matter of national resource management and long-term development planning.

The future of artificial intelligence must therefore be measured not only by computing power and economic returns, but also by its energy efficiency, water footprint and environmental sustainability.

Investment in air cooling, direct liquid cooling, renewable electricity and alternative water sources can help reconcile technological ambitions with environmental responsibilities.

The Human Dimension: Preparing Society for the AI Revolution

Perhaps the most consequential challenge of artificial intelligence is its impact on people and the future of work.

Automation may improve productivity and create entirely new professional opportunities, but it also threatens to transform occupations built around repetitive administrative, accounting and information-processing tasks.

According to IMF estimates cited in the article, AI could affect tasks associated with approximately 40% of jobs worldwide. This does not mean that 40% of existing jobs will automatically disappear. Rather, it signals the scale of occupational transformation that governments, businesses and educational institutions must anticipate.

Uzbekistan’s emphasis on incorporating practical AI education into school and university curricula from the 2026–2027 academic year is therefore strategically important.

Its training initiatives, professional certification programs and ambition to implement the Five Million AI Leaders initiative reflect an understanding that technological infrastructure alone cannot create a competitive digital economy.

People must remain at the center of technological progress. The countries that succeed will not necessarily be those possessing the most powerful computers, but those capable of preparing their citizens to work alongside intelligent systems, develop new solutions and adapt to changing economic conditions.

This requires investment in digital literacy, scientific research, critical thinking, creativity and lifelong professional education.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan: Building a Central Asian Bridge for AI Safety

The growing cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan adds an important regional dimension to the international AI agenda.

Both countries recognize artificial intelligence as a strategic priority and are investing in digital infrastructure, research, institutional development and technological entrepreneurship.

Kazakhstan’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, the establishment of its Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, and the launch of the international Alem.AI center demonstrate its determination to strengthen its position in the global digital economy.

Meanwhile, cooperation between Uzbekistan’s IT Park and Kazakhstan’s Astana Hub provides a practical foundation for developing startup partnerships, organizing technology forums, facilitating business missions and expanding exchanges between innovative companies.

More importantly, the two countries face comparable structural challenges. Their climatic conditions, water-resource constraints, growing electricity requirements and demographic realities make cooperation especially valuable in addressing the broader consequences of AI expansion.

This creates an opportunity to transform bilateral technological cooperation into a wider Central Asian framework for responsible artificial intelligence.

Such cooperation could include shared cybersecurity expertise, joint research programs, common approaches to data protection, energy-efficient computing infrastructure and coordinated training initiatives.

Astana and the Emergence of a New Global Dialogue

The November 6 conference in Astana arrives at a particularly important moment. Artificial intelligence is developing faster than many national regulatory systems and international institutions can adapt.

Its challenges are interconnected. Cybersecurity cannot be separated from data governance. Data governance cannot be separated from human rights. Computing infrastructure cannot be separated from energy and water security. Nor can economic transformation be separated from the future of education and employment.

Consequently, AI safety must be approached as a comprehensive international development issue rather than a narrow technical subject.

The conference offers an opportunity to move beyond general declarations and explore practical mechanisms for cooperation, including information exchange, responsible AI standards, technological capacity-building and coordinated responses to cross-border digital threats.

Uzbekistan can contribute valuable experience from its efforts to establish a legal framework, expand computing infrastructure, integrate AI into public administration and strengthen cybersecurity.

Its participation also reflects a broader aspiration: for Central Asian countries to become active contributors to the international technological agenda rather than merely consumers of innovations developed elsewhere.

Conclusion: Technology Needs Cooperation, and Progress Needs Responsibility

The artificial intelligence revolution presents humanity with an extraordinary opportunity, but opportunity without responsibility can become a source of instability.

Economic growth must be accompanied by cybersecurity. Innovation must be balanced with human oversight. Digital infrastructure must respect energy and water limitations. Automation must be matched by education, retraining and social adaptation.

These are not challenges that any country can resolve independently.

The significance of the Astana conference lies precisely in its recognition that the safety of artificial intelligence is a shared international responsibility and that the security of one country’s digital future is increasingly connected to the security of all others.

For Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, this is an opportunity to deepen their strategic partnership, strengthen Central Asia’s voice in global technological discussions and contribute to a model of development in which innovation and responsibility advance together.

Artificial intelligence may provide humanity with unprecedented power, but international cooperation must provide the wisdom to use it wisely. The future will not be shaped by algorithms alone. It will be shaped by the choices nations make today, by the safeguards they establish and by their willingness to work together in the service of a safer, more prosperous and more sustainable world.