Iran vice president says country full of opportunities to shore up digital economy

Iran’s Vice President for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy says AI-aided digital economy can serve as a stepping stone to augment the country’s economy. 

Addressing a gathering of entrepreneurs in the Iranian capital Tehran, Rouhollah Dehghani Firouzabadi said the almost 10,000 start-up companies in the country have become so large that can help the country procure great economic achievements. 

“With the two infrastructural leaps, which were followed by foreign and domestic investment on startup solutions that cater to the general needs of the people, such as shopping, transportation, etc., a strong wave of digital startups was formed in the country,” he said. 

However, the Iranian vice president said, after almost 15 years of activities, the startups in the country have become sluggish and a new innovative current is needed to energize the flow, explaining that the new wave will be triggered by artificial intelligence. 

Dehghani Firouzabadi said large sectors in Iran, such as steel, oil and gas, and petrochemicals as well as large industries have turned to investing in the digital economy, a development he termed as “promising.”