He made these remarks while speaking on behalf of 12 countries at the opening session of the two-day ‘AI Governance in Practice’ conference that began in Istanbul on Tuesday (6 October). The conference has been jointly organized by the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Astana Civil Service Hub, UNDP and the Government of Turkey.

The minister said AI is no longer a technology of the future; it is bringing change to public decision-making, citizen services and development processes. Therefore, along with rapid adoption, emphasis must be placed on responsible, transparent, accountable and human-centric use.

He identified three issues as important for AI good governance—trust and confidence, capacity building and international cooperation. He also highlighted the need for skilled human resources, effective institutional capacity, appropriate data management and a timely legal framework.

Quoting Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Fakir Mahbub Anam said that AI should not create new inequalities, but rather help reduce existing inequalities. To this end, he called for ensuring technology transfer, skills development and access to modern technology at affordable prices.

Ministers, senior officials, and representatives of UNDP and international development partner organizations from various countries in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region are participating in the conference.