The seminar AI for Impact: Shaping the Future of Central Asia's Key Industries successfully brought together over 150 participants — 65 in person and 85 online—for a high-level half-day event at Tashkent.
Organized by EUROUZ and ASEE Group, a leading European Technology provider, with the support of EUROUZ members, the seminar provided a dynamic platform for dialogue among leaders from the energy, utilities, infrastructure, finance, telecommunications, and public sectors on the future role of AI in Central Asia and in Uzbekistan.
Krasimir Suljak, Sales Director for International Markets at ASEE Group, delivered a keynote presentation on global digitalization trends in the water utility and energy sectors at the start of the event. The first panel, Opportunities for Customer Services Process Automation in Key Industrial Sectors, moderated by Louis Skyner, Partner at Dentons explored how companies in Eurasia are increasingly turning to automation to streamline customer-facing processes, improve service delivery, and meet rising
consumer expectations. The discussion highlighted the critical role of automation in overcoming legacy system limitations and featured practical insights from the Ministry of Energy, Veolia, SUEZ, and IT Park Uzbekistan, and ASEE Group on how organizations are adapting to rapidly shifting client demands in their respective fields.
The second panel began with a presentation by Marin Curavic, Business Development Manager at ASEE Group, who showcased real-world applications of AI in business process management, finance, telecom, and cybersecurity, emphasizing how advanced AI tools can drive operational efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance. Unlocking AI's Potential in Uzbekistan, moderated by Mr Curavic, focused on the transformative power of artificial intelligence in optimizing internal operations and strengthening digital resilience across key industries. Panelists discussed practical AI applications in finance, public administration, and digital services, while also addressing Uzbekistan's evolving regulatory landscape to support innovation.
The discussion highlighted the strategic importance of institutional readiness, data governance, and cybersecurity, and featured insightful contributions from the Ministry of Digital Technologies, Alif Uzbekistan, Payten, Click, and the Central Asian Association for AI (AICA) on how their organizations are embracing AI to meet complex operational and regulatory demands.
Speakers of both panels
- Umid Mamadaminov, Deputy Minister of Energy, Republic of Uzbekistan
- Chahine Boutouila, Development Director, Veolia Central Asia
- Abdulaziz Khamraliev, Expert Customer Service, SUEZ
- Makhliyo Muksinova, Export Services Development Director, IT Park Uzbekistan
- Kresimir Suljak, Sales Director - International Markets, ASEE Group
- Sarvarbek Sadullaev, Director of the AI Department, Ministry of Digital Technologies
- Nuriddin Lafizov, CEO, Alif Uzbekistan
- Visal Ahmet Ozten, International Sales Director, Payten
- Roman Dyakonov, Chief Data Officer, Click
- Jasurbek Mamurov, Head of Project Office, AICA - Central Asian Association for AI
The seminar concluded with remarks highlighting the need for sustained public-private cooperation and continued investment in digital infrastructure to fully harness the potential of AI in driving sustainable growth throughout the region. Following the closing session, participants engaged in a coffee break and informal networking, providing an opportunity for deeper exchange of ideas and new connections among industry leaders, policymakers, and technology experts.
Key Insights from Our Speakers:
“Today's event is a testament to the growing interest and momentum behind digital transformation and AI innovation in the region. We are proud to support the European-Uzbek business dialogue in this sector, among others”, said Shakhzodbek Makhmudov, Head of Branch, EUROUZ, and Rino Miletic, Business Development Manager for International Market, ASEE Group
“In Central Asia, we are dealing with infrastructure inherited from the Soviet era, which requires significant upgrades to ensure reliable and continuous utility services. Since our starting point is quite far behind, we need to make substantial leaps to achieve meaningful improvements. We believe that AI can significantly accelerate our progress — but only if we maintain a disciplined approach to data collection, proper labeling, and systematic organization,” - Chahine Boutouila, Development Director, Veolia Central Asia.
“This morning's discussion on AI in Uzbekistan's energy and utility sectors highlighted the importance of integration and cooperation. With Veolia and SUEZ managing hundreds of contracts, platforms generating vital data are already in place—now the focus is on connecting them. The government has shown strong awareness and commitment, as noted by the Deputy Minister's remarks on system integrity, balance, and security. AI offers a path to smarter, more responsive systems, but reliability remains a priority,” - Louis Skyner, Partner, Dentons.
“Today's event was organized by EUROUZ and brought together many highly skilled specialists in their respective fields. The sessions were very engaging, with specialists sharing valuable insights and perspectives. It was a very interesting event, even for us at the Ministry of Digital Technologies. We're looking forward to continuing our work in this area and further developing other sectors through AI technologies,” noted Sarvarbek Sadullaev, Director of the AI Department, Ministry of Digital Technologies.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering our lives, including the professional sphere. At Hududgaztaminot, we currently operate 16 systems—billing, housing services, and ERP—designed to streamline processes. We see AI as essential for simplifying our employees' work. Our first goal is to implement AI in our call center to improve response speed and efficiency for customers. We also plan to apply AI in gas distribution to optimize network management. Events like this are valuable for gaining insights from European experts, and we believe more such initiatives are needed,” said Maksudov Davron - Deputy chairman of the board of Hududgaztaminot
EUROUZ, the Europe - Uzbekistan Association for Economic Cooperation, is an international business association & a European Chamber of Commerce in Uzbekistan, working to provide comprehensive support to its members to understand their target market, build more robust business networks & enable a better dialogue with both public & private stakeholders. EUROUZ is a recognized European non-profit, non-commercial association with headquarters in Brussels & a full official branch office in Tashkent. Its members fully fund EUROUZ through membership fees.
