BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. 'Deepfake' and
artificial intelligence (AI)-based disinformation should now be
considered part of the hybrid threat arsenal, alongside traditional
cyberattacks, Chairman of the Temporary Commission against Foreign
Interference and Hybrid Threats of the Azerbaijani Parliament,
Ramid Namazov, said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.


The MP made the remark during a public debate in the parliament
on the topic "Digital development, artificial intelligence and
protecting children from harmful effects on social network
platforms."


He noted that the National Supercomputer Center has already been
established in the country, which allows complex AI models to be
safely trained and managed within the country, without depending on
external cloud services.


According to him, this is a strategic step in terms of both
national security and digital sovereignty, and sensitive state
information can now be processed without leaving the country's
borders.


Namazov pointed out that the development of AI is not only of
strategic importance in terms of digital independence, information
security, and national security, but also creates broad
opportunities for increasing efficiency in public administration,
optimizing decision-making processes, and diversifying the
economy.


The official emphasized that against the background of threats
created by AI, the focus is shifting to not only cyber defense, but
also the concept of digital resilience, which involves rapid
recovery after cyber incidents. He noted that the country's growing
digital dependence and complex geopolitical position require a
fundamental strengthening of the cybersecurity strategy, the
training of qualified personnel, and the implementation of risk
management mechanisms at the national level.


Namazov highlighted that one of the newest and most
sophisticated threats created by AI is deepfake content and
synthetic media, called "deepfake". According to him, artificial
intelligence solutions are now able to create such realistic and
fully functional fake audio and video materials that the speed of
their spread sometimes exceeds the ability of state agencies or
fact-checking mechanisms to react.


He said that this is not just a technological phenomenon, but
has become one of the most agile and difficult-to-track tools of
modern hybrid threats. Namazov believes that the 'deepfake' and
AI-based disinformation should be assessed alongside traditional
cyberattacks, taking into account that these tools are used to
undermine public trust, damage the reputation of state
institutions, as well as deceive and manipulate individuals and
children.


According to him, the risks associated with disinformation and
artificial intelligence can also be assessed as a separate category
of threats. Namazov noted that the systems for automatic detection
of prohibited content through AI, envisaged within the framework of
the 2026–2028 Action Plan, are aimed at responding to these new
generation threats.


The commission head said that the next important step is the
creation of large language models in the Azerbaijani language by
the end of 2028. According to him, since most of the existing large
language models in the world are trained on English and several
dominant languages, high-quality AI services in the Azerbaijani
language are limited. He emphasized that the creation of strong
models in the Azerbaijani language will further strengthen cultural
and linguistic sovereignty.


Namazov pointed out that the AI Strategy covers four main areas.
These are improving the management of AI, developing data
management and computing infrastructure, strengthening human
resources, as well as public education.


According to him, the strategy identifies informing society not
only about the possibilities of AI, but also about its risks and
protecting ethical principles as one of the state's priority tasks.
The AI Academy, established within this framework, aims to train
500 engineers through programs in line with international standards
and form an AI community of 3,000 people.


Namazov added that Azerbaijan's AI, benefits from international
partnerships in other areas.