Uzbekistan AI Regulation Overview

Overview

Uzbekistan’s approach to artificial intelligence regulation represents a state-led, structured progression embedded within the country's broader "Digital Uzbekistan – 2030" initiative. Beginning with foundational measures under Presidential Resolution PP-4996 in February 2021, the nation established pilot testing mechanisms, high-level institutional structures, and scientific research facilities. This foundational stage expanded with the adoption of Presidential Resolution PP-358 in October 2024, which introduced the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies until 2030, establishing clear economic, infrastructural, and sector-specific targets for national AI adoption.

To complement strategic economic goals, Uzbekistan is actively enacting formal statutory rules to address technological risks and privacy concerns. In response to a sharp rise in AI-related violations—from 1,129 registered cases in 2023 to 3,553 in 2024—the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis passed the first reading of the Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence in April 2025. Coupled with the Law on Cybersecurity (No. ZRU-764) enacted in 2022, Uzbekistan's regulatory landscape combines innovation-promoting mechanisms, such as regulatory sandboxes and financial incentives, with statutory oversight, data localization, and administrative liability.

Regulatory Approach

Uzbekistan balances strategic policy directives, targeted sector rules, and emerging horizontal legislation. Rather than relying on a standalone regulatory authority, the framework integrates AI oversight into existing state structures while establishing high-level coordination commissions. Binding Presidential decrees and acts set strict operational targets and security mandates, whereas detailed implementing rules and technical standards establish prescriptive operational requirements across state agencies and digital infrastructure operators.

The regulatory philosophy prioritizes safe adoption in priority economic domains while protecting public interest and fundamental rights. Through a dedicated "Special Mode" (regulatory sandbox) situated within the IT Park of Uzbekistan, entities conducting research and pilot deployments receive tax exemptions and regulatory flexibility to test AI tools. Simultaneously, emerging legislation imposes explicit risk-focused restrictions, including mandatory labeling for AI-generated content, prohibitions against automated decision-making that solely determines citizens' rights, and strict safeguards against unauthorized personal data processing.

Key AI Legislation

Uzbekistan's AI governance and regulatory framework comprises key decrees, strategic documents, legislative acts, and pending bills:

• Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies until 2030 (Presidential Resolution PP-358, 2024): Establishes the primary roadmap and target metrics for national AI integration, including $1.5 billion in AI software/services revenue, delivery of 10% of public services via AI, and creating 10 specialized research laboratories.
• Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence (2025): Introduces statutory definitions for AI and AI-generated content, mandates mandatory labeling for AI content, enforces human oversight in consequential decisions, prohibits rights-violating AI systems, and establishes administrative liability for unlawful personal data processing via AI.
• Presidential Resolution PP-4996 (2021): Enacted the foundational measure for AI acceleration under Digital Uzbekistan 2030, authorizing the "Special Mode" regulatory sandbox at IT Park, founding the Research Institute for the Development of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, and setting education and priority sector guidelines.
• Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Cybersecurity" (No. ZRU-764, 2022): Codifies protections for digital sovereignty and Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), granting centralized monitoring and audit powers to the State Security Service, while establishing localization and certification requirements.

Governance & Enforcement Bodies

Governance in Uzbekistan relies on multi-tiered state bodies and specialized institutes rather than a single specialized AI regulator. Primary policy executive responsibility rests with the Ministry of Digital Technologies (formerly the Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications). The Ministry oversees strategy execution, technical standards development, cross-ministerial alignment, and the Center for Development of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy. High-level inter-agency supervision is conducted by the Coordination Commission for the Implementation of the Digital Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy, chaired by the Prime Minister.

Operational enforcement for security and infrastructure protection is centralized under the State Security Service (SSS), which acts as the authorized state body for cybersecurity under Law ZRU-764. The SSS manages the unified register of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) objects, conducts technical security audits, oversees tool certification, and handles incident response. Specialized bodies—such as the Research Institute for the Development of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, data protection authorities, media regulators, and the Cabinet of Ministers—fulfil distinct academic, technical, and regulatory compliance functions.

Penalties & Enforcement

Enforcement mechanisms in Uzbekistan encompass administrative liability, criminal sanctions, and compliance audits across regulatory domains. Under the Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence, administrative liability is established for the unlawful processing of personal data through AI systems and for the distribution of such data across online platforms or media outlets. Furthermore, content uploaders bear direct responsibility for complying with mandatory AI content labeling requirements enforced by technical monitoring and complaint-based investigations led by the Ministry of Digital Technologies and media regulators.

Under the Law on Cybersecurity (No. ZRU-764), failure to comply with mandatory security protocols for Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) or failure to report cyber-incidents immediately leads to administrative fines for responsible officials. Where non-compliance or malicious activity results in significant damage, loss of life, or threats to national security, sanctions escalate to severe penalties under the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, including imprisonment. The legal framework provides administrative and judicial recourse, allowing legal entities to challenge SSS audit findings or Cabinet classification decisions in court.

Data Protection Framework

Data protection within the AI regulatory architecture emphasizes data localization, personal data safeguarding, and managed access to state data. Under the Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence, automated collection, storage, analysis, and processing of individual information through AI are subject to heightened legal scrutiny. The law explicitly penalizes unauthorized processing of personal data via AI and mandates safeguards for entities handling individual datasets, directly addressing rising incidents of illegal AI-processed materials.

Complementing data privacy protections, the Law on Cybersecurity mandates the localization of critical data processing and storage within the territory of Uzbekistan where feasible. To fuel domestic AI development, Presidential Resolution PP-4996 and the 2030 AI Strategy provide frameworks for digitizing public sector data, standardizing datasets via the Research Institute, and establishing a national Big Data database (targeted for operational launch by May 1, 2025) while maintaining strict security controls.

Sector-Specific Rules

Sectoral AI adoption is guided by priority directives established across Presidential resolutions. In banking and finance, AI deployment focuses on fraud prevention, automated customer service, remote biometric identification (Face-ID), creditworthiness assessments, and RegTech/SubTech tools. In public administration and services, the 2030 Strategy targets delivering 10% of government services via AI on the Interactive Public Services Portal, alongside applications in voice biometrics and Uzbek language speech recognition.

Healthcare and agriculture also represent priority domains. In healthcare, rules encourage AI integration for medical imaging analysis (X-rays and MRIs), early disease diagnosis, and personalized treatment management. In agriculture, AI systems target precision agriculture, soil condition monitoring, satellite remote sensing, resource management, and crop yield forecasting. Energy, taxation, and customs sectors utilize AI for resource consumption optimization, grid management, renewable energy integration, and reducing shadow economy activities through automated compliance monitoring.

International Alignment

Uzbekistan aligns its national AI and technological framework with established international benchmarks and ethical principles. Strategic guidance under Presidential Resolution PP-4996 explicitly references alignment with recommendations and standards from international bodies including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank, the OECD, and UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore, national performance tracking utilizes Oxford Insights' Government AI Readiness Index, aiming for a top 50 global ranking by 2030.

In cybersecurity and technical standardization, the national framework harmonizes rules with globally recognized international standards such as ISO/IEC 27001. Technical compliance mandates draw upon regional and international cybersecurity frameworks to ensure system interoperability, attract international investment, and promote responsible state behavior in cyberspace in accordance with United Nations dialogues and regional treaties within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Future Developments

Uzbekistan's AI legislative and regulatory framework is undergoing active expansion. The Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence, which passed its first reading on April 15, 2025, is scheduled for expected final passage with an anticipated entry into force on January 1, 2026. Following final enactment, the Ministry of Digital Technologies and sectoral ministries will issue detailed implementing regulations establishing technical standards, procedures, formats, and placement specifications for mandatory AI content labeling.

Key infrastructure milestones set under the Strategy for the Development of AI Technologies until 2030 include the operational launch of the national Big Data database by May 1, 2025, and the deployment of high-performance computing infrastructure by May 1, 2026. Financial deployment of a $50 million interest-free loan facility from the Reconstruction and Development Fund commences in January 2025 to fund priority projects, startup ecosystems, and research laboratories.

Enforcement Bodies

Agency	Mandate	Key Powers	Website
Ministry of Digital Technologies	Lead executive agency coordinating national digital economy, AI policy implementation, and regulatory compliance technical standards.	Oversees AI strategy execution, technical standards development, content labeling monitoring, cross-sector coordination, and IT Park Special Mode.
State Security Service (SSS)	Authorized state body in the field of cybersecurity and protection of digital sovereignty.	Maintains unified CII register, conducts mandatory security audits, certifies cybersecurity tools, inspects CII operations, and investigates incidents.
Coordination Commission for Digital Uzbekistan 2030	High-level inter-ministerial body chaired by the Prime Minister providing strategic oversight of digital transformation.	Monitors implementation progress across agencies, conducts quarterly evaluations, and reviews national performance against target KPIs.
Center for Development of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy	Specialized entity operating under the oversight of the Ministry of Digital Technologies.	Coordinates AI research, development, and deployment activities across economic and social sectors.
Research Institute for the Development of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence	Scientific research institution established to support domestic technological capabilities.	Conducts fundamental and applied AI research, develops data standardization technical protocols, and leads academic specialist training.