12:38 - 15.07.2026

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July 15, Fineko/abc.az. The shortage of artificial intelligence engineers in Azerbaijan could become a serious problem in 3-7 years, said Vusal Khalilov, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, at the roundtable "Digital Architecture: Software Management and Results-Oriented Approach" in Baku.

According to Khalilov, there are different opinions about AI and its application, particularly in the field of technology: "But when we look at the strategies of leading countries in this field, we see that importance of fundamental knowledge and engineering training is not questioned anywhere. Even if AI can automate most programming tasks in the future, it will still require skilled engineers. If our goal is to become one of the leading technology countries in the region, we must consider the number of engineers per capita as a strategic key performance indicator (KPI)."

Khalilov noted that efforts in this direction should be continued, with more attention paid to engineering education and human capital development, especially in the regions: "Regardless of the amount of investments in infrastructure and management improvement, if we do not have enough engineers to develop these areas, we may face serious challenges in the next 3, 5, and 7 years. Therefore, I consider investing in engineering education to be a strategic priority for long-term development. In the context of increasing competition in the region, this issue is particularly important for Azerbaijan."