The Kurdistan Region on Saturday kicked off the first Artificial Intelligence (AI) conference in Iraq.

In a statement to Iraqi state media, the Iraqi Prime Minister's Advisor for Scientific Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, Diaa al-Jumaili, announced the commencement of the first Artificial Intelligence (AI) conference in Iraq, held in Erbil.

The conference is under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and the Prime Minister's Office for AI Affairs.

Jumaili highlighted the participation of numerous specialists, academics, and technical experts in AI.

“The idea of the conference is to introduce AI in Iraq through the expertise of Iraqi professionals both inside and outside the country,” Al-Jumaili stated.

He emphasized that “the modern industrial revolution is the foundation of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and AI, which began in Baghdad 1200 years ago with Al-Khwarizmi and the House of Wisdom. We aim to bring this heritage back to Iraq.”

Jumaili noted that Iraq is entering a new world with a strategy for AI and is among the first countries in the region to have an AI advisory office within the Prime Minister's Office.

“PM Sudani personally chairs and oversees the High Committee for AI in Iraq, a unique position not found in other regional countries,” he said.

He outlined a dual-phase strategy extending to 2050, which includes establishing an AI faculty in every Iraqi university and transforming the College of Agriculture into the College of Smart Agriculture.

The conference aims to produce tangible outcomes, including the creation of an AI center in Iraq, headquartered at the American University of Baghdad and other universities, with government support.

“By the end of the conference, we expect to have established an AI center in Iraq,” Jumaili said.

In an effort to bring foreign AI experience into Iraq, Iraqi Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Naim al-Aboudi launched an initiative for a bilateral academic cooperation program between Iraq and the United Kingdom at the Iraqi-British Universities Forum in London titled Iraq-UK Higher Education Dialogue.

Last week, Aboudi shared a video on the X platform from the UK in front of the University of the West of England Bristol’s robotics laboratory, discussing their visit to the largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) Laboratory in Britain.  He emphasized that the main objective of the visit was to replicate this experience in Iraq.

Iraq has already established essential departments for AI in government universities, and there are dedicated colleges in private universities as well.

Iraqi Minister of Communications Hayam al-Yasiri announced on Friday an international proposal to regulate social media content and govern AI.

She highlighted Iraq's active role in global conferences and progress in digital transformation. Al-Yasiri called for binding standards to respect cultural diversity and proposed that AI governance be managed by the United Nations.

She also discussed Iraq’s goal to become a major international telecommunications hub, leveraging its strategic location for regional and global connectivity.