Lack of private sector participation in a national project focused on artificial intelligence

Recently, news was published in the media that, in an official ceremony attended by Hossein Afshin, Deputy President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, the initial version of artificial intelligence assistants for 13 executive agencies of the country was unveiled. The news mentioned: This project is one of Iran’s important steps on the path of smart governance and the practical use of artificial intelligence in government decision-making.

Regarding the important details of this project, it can be said that it was developed based on native language models (LLM) that these assistants were designed in cooperation with universities in the country and with a focus on the Persian language. About 70 percent of the models are native and its main goal is to prevent data from leaving the country.

Isfahan, Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Shiraz and Al-Zahra Industrial Universities have cooperated with the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, the Ministry of Oil, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to develop this project; In addition, knowledge-based companies are also participating in the development of modeling laws and structures.

Its implementation stages include 4 phases: loading laws and regulations to detect discrepancies, importing specialized data from each ministry, modeling and forecasting to help with decision-making, and validating and optimizing outputs.

According to available reports, a budget of between 13 and 15 billion tomans has been allocated for each ministry, and it has been decided that universities with poor performance will be excluded.

According to relevant officials, the ultimate goal of this project is to improve Iran’s position in the field of applied artificial intelligence and move towards more accurate and data-based decision-making in the government.

The project of artificial intelligence assistants in Iranian executive agencies can certainly have a significant impact on smart governance. These benefits can include improved management decisions, more accurate policymaking, reduced human error in analyzing information and predicting trends, improving the quality of government services to the public, reducing bureaucracy and increasing public satisfaction, and ultimately increasing transparency and accountability, helping to promote public trust in government institutions.

Also, artificial intelligence models can simulate different scenarios and predict the possible consequences of policies, which is very effective in designing public policies.

However, it should be noted that implementing this project and achieving its effects faces challenges and requirements, including the need for extensive access to device data, continuous updating with new laws and regulations, training employees to interact effectively with these technologies, and the presence of the private sector in the implementation and implementation of this project.

Lack of private sector participation in this national project

Despite the importance and scope of the “Artificial Intelligence Assistants in Executive Agencies” project, a striking point in its executive structure is the lack of participation of private sector institutions, especially chambers of commerce, institutions that have been operating at the forefront of the country’s economic development, innovation, and digital transformation for years.

Neglecting the capacities of chambers of commerce

The chairman of the board of directors of the Iranian Knowledge-Based Organizations Association, in a conversation with the public relations of this upstream organization, stated that chambers of commerce are not only the true representatives of the country’s active businesses, but also, alongside organizations, have played an effective role in linking technology with the economy. He said: “The absence of these institutions in a project that aims to “smart decision-making” and “applying artificial intelligence” in governance indicates a worrying distance between the government and the private sector.”

Afshin Kolahi stated: The consequences of this absence could include reducing the effectiveness of the project without the presence of private sector participation. Because, the proposed models may not be consistent with the realities of the market and industry. In addition, the exclusion of chambers and the private sector from the technological decision-making process sends a clear message to economic actors that you are not being heard, which means weakening the mutual trust between the government and the private sector.

He considered ignoring organizations and the private sector to mean missing an opportunity in national synergy and stated: With their extensive network, chambers can inject valuable data, real needs and operational feedback into the project, an opportunity that is currently being neglected.

Kolahi stated: Therefore, it is essential that in the next phases of the project, mechanisms are designed for the participation of private sector institutions, chambers of commerce, organizations and innovation centers. This partnership will not only help enrich AI models, but will also transform the path of smart governance from a government project to a national and participatory movement.

According to the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Knowledge-Based Organizations Forum, this project can put Iran on the path of data-driven and smart governance, provided that its technical, legal, and cultural challenges are properly managed.

Publication date: 1404/05/28