Uzbekistan is developing the Samarkand-2028 satellite, for which an artificial-intelligence (AI) module is now being created. The spacecraft is expected to conduct Earth surface observation, and its images will support monitoring of air quality, agricultural crops, and forests. The project was discussed on December 1 at a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev devoted to the use of AI across various sectors, according to the presidential press service.
The president was briefed on the active use of advanced technologies in healthcare. Five AI-related projects are currently being implemented. For example, AI is used to detect strokes and breast cancer — reducing diagnostic time by 80 percent and identifying life-threatening conditions at early stages.
The president instructed officials to expand the list of diseases that can be diagnosed in this way. Specialized national medical centers, with support from foreign experts, plan to introduce advanced imaging-analysis systems. These innovations will help rapidly and accurately detect liver, lung, and prostate cancers, as well as heart attacks and complex bone fractures.
Significant attention is being paid to training specialized personnel. Starting next academic year, schools, vocational colleges, and universities will introduce AI-related programs, requiring improved qualifications for computer-science teachers. The discussion also emphasized training not only IT instructors but entire school faculties in the use of new technologies — a move intended to reduce teachers’ workloads and free time for professional development.
Officials proposed introducing an AI-based platform in the general-education system. As part of this initiative, a virtual teaching assistant will be developed to help educators prepare lectures, presentations, tests, lesson plans, and manage exam processes.
Ideas for applying AI innovations to the transport sector were also presented. Proposals included automated detection of traffic violations and reducing the risk of railway incidents through monitoring of railcar technical conditions.
The president was also informed about a training program for advisors to regional, city, and district mayors (hokims) on digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
Uzbekistan has adopted several policy documents establishing the necessary conditions for developing infrastructure and training specialists in the IT sphere. The country has approved a strategy for the development of AI technologies through 2030. A specialized center has been opened under the Ministry of Digital Technologies, and a project is underway to launch a supercomputer cluster in partnership with the U.S. company Nvidia.
