- Tajikistan unveils ‘Project Soro’, its first nationwide AI-in-education initiative launched in partnership with UNICEF and zypl.ai at AI CONF 2025.
- Led by the Tajikistan AI Council, the project integrates SoroLLM, the nation’s first large language model, into school platforms like maktabmobile.tj and eDonish.
- By 2027, AI will become a compulsory school subject, impacting 2 million students and 4,000 schools, advancing Tajikistan’s NAIS-2040 vision for an AI-driven economy.
Tajikistan launched Project Soro, the nation's first nationwide effort to implement artificial intelligence (AI) in its national education system. As per press release by Ai CONF 2025, the project, which has been created in partnership with UNICEF and technology firm zypl.ai, will make digital learning available to all students while equipping youth with skills to thrive in the future.
The Tajikistan AI Council, under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MoINT), UNICEF, and zypl.ai signed the commitment to implement Project Soro 'AI for Inclusive Education in Tajikistan' at AI CONF 2025. This milestone project is the first of its kind in deploying AI in Central Asian education.
Project Soro is said to be one of the principal elements of Tajikistan's NAIS-2040, which aims at 5% GDP from AI in 2040 through the construction of a knowledge-based economy. With the leadership of the AI Council, the core components of this strategy have already been developed, including the AI Academy, which has already trained more than 700 experts, and SoroLLM Tajikistan's first large language model (LLM) intended to capture the country's cultural and dialectical diversity.
Trained on a mix of real and artificial data, SoroLLM facilitates precise contextual comprehension and domain adaptation. In the education space, the model drives personalized learning, assists teachers, and facilitates digital literacy. It also paves the way for wider AI adoption in government, civil society, and the private sector in Tajik.
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The model will be integrated into current digital learning platforms like maktabmobile.tj and eDonish, providing context-specific learning opportunities in Tajik, assisting pedagogical activities, enhancing algorithmic literacy, and creating a secure, inclusive learning environment.
AI Council will manage the project and define national standards, with UNICEF providing child rights and ethical AI usage, and zypl.ai providing technical adaptation, training, and SoroLLM system integration.
"We are collectively working towards creating education tools that optimize the potential of big data and AI and maintain privacy, safeguard from harm, and empower children to fulfill their rights", stated Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan. Together with the Tajikistan AI Council and zypl.ai, UNICEF is focused on bringing AI into the education system of Tajikistan as a means of learning and empowerment.
By 2027, 'Introduction to Artificial Intelligence' will be a compulsory subject taught in every school. The initiative is forecasted to impact 4,000 schools and 2 million students, train as many as 2,000 AI experts, and create an estimated $150 million in five-year economic contribution solidifying Tajikistan's regional position as a leader in ethical AI.
Project Soro will also be included in Area AI, a new technology center combining education, research, and innovation to enable youth employment. The project is poised to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2025 and extend through 2028 with funding from international institutions, donors, and the private sector. This ambitious project demonstrates how AI can open up new opportunities for all children in Tajikistan.
