Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence of the Republic of Armenia Tatev Aslanyan participated in the “AI & Digital Bridge 2026 VII” international conference, held from October 1 to 5 in Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At one of the region’s largest platforms in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and high technologies, the Deputy Minister participated as a keynote speaker in a panel discussion titled “Who Will Power the AI Economy?”

Tatev Aslanyan presented Armenia’s priorities in developing human capital in the field of AI, introducing innovative educational programs, as well as strengthening the potential of the local technology ecosystem and startups.

Addressing the question of how her experience as a startup founder and entrepreneur helps her in her current position, the Deputy Minister noted that this journey had shaped a practical approach to problem-solving, which she now applies in public administration and policymaking as well. According to her, it is important to first study and clearly define the problem, envision the desired end result, and then build a path toward achieving it. At the same time, she emphasized the importance of placing the actual needs of the user at the center, viewing constraints as opportunities, and providing talent with opportunities for practical growth and experience. According to Tatev Aslanyan, the same logic should also be applied when developing public policies and legislative regulations: first clearly understand what problem we are trying to solve and what result we want to achieve, and only then select the necessary tools and mechanisms.

Tatev Aslanyan spoke about the challenges facing the growth of entry-level professionals, noting that artificial intelligence is absorbing entry-level work, resulting in reduced demand for junior professionals, while demand for senior professionals remains high. In this context, the Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of close cooperation between the state, universities, and companies, with the aim of providing entry-level professionals with real work experience through structured mentorship and apprenticeship models.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of ensuring a strong foundation in fundamental sciences—mathematics, statistics, and programming—at universities, which will enable the state to retrain AI specialists within a short period of time.

Tatev Aslanyan also addressed the mega-project being implemented in Armenia in the field of AI—the “AI Factories Garden” initiative, within the framework of which the Firebird AI and Eleveight AI computing centers have been launched. Thanks to these centers, Armenia is a regional leader in terms of GPU resources.

Concluding her speech, Tatev Aslanyan advised young people not to lose their ability to think independently and not to allow artificial intelligence to replace the human mind. She emphasized the importance of the continuous pursuit of learning, curiosity, studying the arts alongside technology, and consistently analyzing AI-generated solutions critically, while also mastering modern prompt engineering skills.

As part of the conference, visits were organized to local AI centers, as well as working meetings with representatives of international partners, technology companies, startups, and investment funds. Opportunities for implementing joint initiatives and investment cooperation were discussed.