Baku, Azerbaijan — Senior stakeholders and experts at this year's Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Meeting taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, have explored how artificial intelligence and shared digital infrastructure can accelerate inclusive growth, strengthen digital public infrastructure (DPI), and address emerging gaps in compute capacity and AI readiness across IsDB Member Countries (MCs).

At the knowledge-sharing event titled: 'Harnessing AI for Advancing Regional Digital Economies', which brought together senior stakeholders and technical experts, the Director-General of Country Programmes at IsDB, Mr. Anasse Aissami, emphasised strongly that the Bank's approach to artificial intelligence is not as an isolated technology agenda, but as a shared capability framework designed to help MCs transition from fragmented pilots toward scalable and trusted digital platforms that can be deployed across sectors and borders.

In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Samaddin Asadov, highlighted Azerbaijan's ongoing efforts to position itself as a regional digital hub through the expansion of innovation ecosystems, strengthening of digital infrastructure, and support for technology-driven economic activity.

He noted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can serve as a catalyst across these priorities by increasing productivity, enabling new digital markets, improving the competitiveness of enterprises, and enhancing the efficiency of public service delivery.