Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, at an AI conference in Yerevan yesterday, stressed the need to import a wide spectrum of technologies to ensure the future development of Armenia.

Pashinyan, addressing the ninth Silicon Mountains technology summit, said his administration’s policy is to support the development of technologies in the country and that education is the key.

This year’s summit, the ninth held, focused on artificial intelligence, and was organized by the Union of Information and Communication Technologies Employers (UICTE) in cooperation with the government of Armenia and private companies.

UICTE Executive Director Eduard Musayelyan noted that in the last two years the event has been organized not only in Yerevan but also in the provinces.

 The summit hosted leading representatives of world-famous companies including Vincent Roche, CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of Analog Devices Inc., Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of Moderna, representatives of Flagship Pioneering, Nokia, Plug&Play Tech Center, and other leading international organizations.

“We cannot escape from artificial intelligence, as it has penetrated not only various sectors of the economy, but also our pockets. We use certain AI components daily. We need to talk about all this more accurately because it is also full of challenges. We need to understand how to properly interact with AI, where those boundaries are and where we should approach with caution,” said Musayelyan.

To prepare for these changes, Musayelyan said it is paramount to educate new generations in Armenia.

The StepAI educational program was presented during the summit, allowing students in fifteen Yerevan high schools and in the provinces to study artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. A similar program, Generation of Artificial Intelligence, is also conducted in Armenian schools by the FAST Foundation.