BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. Address by the
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the participants of the
International Baku Ombudsmen Summit reveals a strategic vision
regarding artificial intelligence (AI), political analyst Azer
Garayev told Trend.
"President Ilham Aliyev's address to the participants of the
International Baku Ombudsmen Summit shows that the issue of
protecting human rights has become one of the main topics of the
global agenda in an era of rapid development of artificial
intelligence technologies," he noted.
According to the analyst, the main point standing out in the
address is that President Ilham Aliyev evaluates AI not only as a
means of technological progress, but also as an important factor
that produces legal, social, and ethical consequences.
"It's no coincidence that the address is dedicated to the topic
'Human rights in the age of artificial intelligence: opportunities,
risks and responsibilities'. Currently, the application of
artificial intelligence in many areas around the world, from public
administration to healthcare, from education to the economy, is
expanding. These technologies create great advantages in terms of
improving the quality of services, accelerating the decision-making
process, and more efficient use of resources. However, at the same
time, serious concerns such as the protection of personal data,
information security, digital surveillance, algorithmic
discrimination, and reduced human intervention are also emerging,"
he explained.
Garayev pointed out that in his address, President Ilham Aliyev
also explains the main principle of Azerbaijan's approach to these
processes.
"That principle is that technological development serves the
human factor. This approach shows that digitalization and
innovation in the country are viewed not only as technical
modernization, but as a means serving the well-being of citizens,
the protection of their rights, and increasing the accessibility of
public services. The special emphasis on legal acts, concepts, and
action plans in the appeal shows that Azerbaijan considers it
important to create legal mechanisms regulating the development of
artificial intelligence.
As in many countries around the world, the formation of a legal
framework in the field of artificial intelligence in Azerbaijan is
of great importance in terms of preventing future risks because the
rapid development of technology requires a parallel update of legal
regulations," he said.
The analyst also noted that President Ilham Aliyev's emphasis on
national AI infrastructure, information security, and digital
governance indicates Azerbaijan's strategic approach to this
area.
"This is considered an important direction in terms of both
increasing the efficiency of public administration and
strengthening the country's global digital competitiveness. In
particular, the emphasis on information security is directly
related to the increase in cybersecurity risks in the era of
artificial intelligence. The mention of the 'smart city' and 'smart
village' projects implemented in the liberated territories in the
address also draws special attention.
These projects are presented not only as the reconstruction of
infrastructure, but also as the formation of a new living model
based on modern technologies. Here, the combination of artificial
intelligence, digital solutions, and the principles of ecological
sustainability demonstrates that Azerbaijan prefers an innovative
development model in the post-conflict period," he mentioned.
Garayev announced that President Ilham Aliyev also devotes
special attention to the role of the ombudsman institution in his
address.
"This emphasis isn't accidental because the widespread
application of artificial intelligence is also changing the
directions of activity of institutions engaged in the protection of
human rights. In the future, issues such as protecting citizens'
digital rights, controlling the use of personal data, and ensuring
the transparency of algorithms may hold a greater place in the
activities of ombudsman institutions. In general, the appeal shows
that Azerbaijan is closely following global challenges in the field
of artificial intelligence and considers the protection of human
rights in these processes to be one of the main priorities.
The message given in the document is that no matter how fast
technological development is, people should be at its center, and
innovations should serve the expansion of rights and freedoms. In
this regard, the Baku Summit can be assessed as an important
platform for both international exchange of experience and
discussion of new approaches to the protection of human rights in
the age of artificial intelligence," he added.
