ADB approves $800,000 AI climate adaptation project

The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a new regional technical assistance project aimed at introducing advanced technologies to support climate change adaptation and strengthen infrastructure.

According to the ADB, the initiative, titled "Artificial Intelligence for Resilient Infrastructure and Adaptation Strategies," covers 42 ADB member countries, including Azerbaijan.

According to project documents, the program will be financed with $800,000 from the Technical Assistance Special Fund.

The main goal of the initiative is to provide government agencies in participating countries with modern AI-based analytical tools to identify, assess and mitigate climate and natural disaster risks. The project will also help protect vulnerable populations from the effects of natural disasters and improve the resilience of critical infrastructure.

Azerbaijan has been a member of the ADB since 1999. During this period, the bank has invested around $5.6 billion in the country, including $4.4 billion in the public sector and $1.2 billion in the private sector. The main areas of financing are energy, with $1.7 billion, and transport, with $1.5 billion.

Under its new partnership strategy, the ADB plans to provide up to $2.5 billion in financing to Azerbaijan.

The Asian Development Bank was established in 1966 and is headquartered in Manila. The ADB has 69 shareholder countries, including 50 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.