According to the Communication and Information Center in the Vice Presidency of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Hossein Afshin, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Smart Power Plant Status Monitoring Center, Shariati Combined Cycle Power Plant in Mashhad, announced to reporters a major leap towards self-sufficiency and keeping pace with global developments, referring to Iran's remarkable efforts in the field of artificial intelligence. Emphasizing an intelligent approach to utilizing successful global models and localizing them, he announced the creation of an open-source artificial intelligence infrastructure, which promises a new chapter in this field.

Afshin clarified in this regard: "We are moving forward based on scientific principles and in line with current world patterns. We have taken advantage of them and laid the initial foundation stone so that we can create a unique platform for ourselves. But the fundamental difference is that we intend to develop this infrastructure in an open-source manner."

The Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy also invited all knowledge-based companies and experts in the field of artificial intelligence to cooperate, adding: "With the readiness of this infrastructure, the synergy of national power and the participation of knowledge-based companies will guarantee the development of this platform. We have called on capable companies in the field of artificial intelligence, especially those with experience in programming languages, to join us."

Artificial Intelligence Marketplace and Government Support

Afshin went on to introduce another part of this project and announced the launch of a "marketplace" or "studio" on the higher layer of this platform, saying: "In this section, various areas such as energy, health, social security, and insurance have been defined. We have issued a call for each of these areas and have asked knowledge-based companies to participate in these sectors. The support of the Vice Presidency will also be given to these companies in the form of a grant. Of course, this support is on the condition that the output of the work is presented in open source. This issue is very important to us."

He noted: "After this stage, there are two more layers that are related to small businesses. Suppose I want to work in the field of artificial intelligence, but I am not a programmer. I have a market and I want to develop my business. In these marketplaces or studios, some toolboxes help me. For example, in the field of energy, I enter my data, choose the appropriate model, and after learning, I receive the output I need. These layers are specific to businesses, and we have also issued a call in these areas."

Open Source Artificial Intelligence, a Path to Innovation and Competition

The Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy announced the government's support and incentive programs for the development of this platform, saying: "In the first and second layers, the costs are usually covered by the government because these sectors do not generate direct income. It was possible to hand over these marketplaces to specific companies, but our policy is to maintain this platform as open source. Companies that participate in this project must deliver their work output in open-source form. Our goal is to attract multiple companies to this project. In the beginning, some companies may ask about their contribution. We explain to them that we have laid the initial infrastructure and that we need their ideas and contributions. In the future, we will hold competitions to identify models that reduce GPU consumption or lower computing costs and award them prizes. Our goal is to encourage creativity and innovation in this area.

Referring to the 20-year development of artificial intelligence in the world, Afshin stated: "Artificial intelligence has grown significantly from 2010 to 2012, but in Iran, this field is just starting to grow. Of course, we need bold managers for this. Managers who dare to accept new systems and can increase the productivity of their traditional systems."

Emphasizing the need for synergy and preparedness for challenges, the Vice President of Science continued: "In the field of artificial intelligence, we may encounter limitations. For example, if IPs are blocked, we must have solutions to overcome these limitations. These are the layers that may be affected by sanctions." He also announced the imminent unveiling of GPU infrastructure, referring to access to the main layers and the impossibility of sanctioning them.

Human resources, the key to success in artificial intelligence

Afshin, while pointing out the importance of human resources as the country's most important advantage, invited AI activists in knowledge-based companies to cooperate in this direction. He clarified: "These companies do not necessarily need to be knowledge-based; they can even cooperate with consortia that are not knowledge-based. Our goal is to create a people's platform, not a corporate one. This platform belongs to the people, and we are expanding it so that the elite and the general public can benefit from it."

Referring to two marketplaces currently being completed, the Vice President of Science considered the health and energy marketplaces as examples of these efforts, and emphasizing the dynamic and ever-developing nature of artificial intelligence, he stated: "Artificial intelligence is a living being and requires continuous updating. Also, the artificial intelligence project is a sustainable and long-term approach, not a temporary project."

Contract with 13 universities to develop smart assistants

Afshin, referring to the signing of artificial intelligence contracts with 13 universities, announced the beginning of a major movement in this field and added: "The projects defined for universities and ministries' artificial intelligence assistants will be launched to support human resources and create technology cores and will lead to the establishment of artificial intelligence knowledge-based companies." Afshin emphasized the competition between universities to develop artificial intelligence assistants and said: "Financial support for this competition will be provided by the Vice-Chancellor for Science."

The vice president of science, rejecting rumors about high figures for financial support, emphasized: "This support is based on the performance of universities." Citing the example of a 30 billion toman grant to Sharif University for artificial intelligence projects, he added: "We give universities real projects and we expect them to be leaders in this field. If a university performs poorly, we will focus on other universities."

He called the "shortage of specialized human resources" one of the most important challenges facing the development of artificial intelligence in the country and announced extensive programs for the education and training of human resources in universities, saying: "The shortage of specialized human resources has limited the number of knowledge-based companies in the field of artificial intelligence. We must provide the necessary training in universities and define artificial intelligence projects so that students become interested in this field. Rest assured that next year, the number of university projects and products will increase several times. We have already defined large projects in the fields of energy, water, environment, and artificial intelligence, and we expect good results from these projects."

Afshin, in the end, emphasized the need to make changes in old systems and support bold managers, and announced the readiness by the Vice Presidency of Science to support these changes, saying: "We are ready to support these changes and even accept responsibility if a problem arises. If we all join hands, we can experience exponential growth in the field of artificial intelligence."