The meeting dedicated to the scientific and scientific-technical activities of the Department of Digital folklore and artificial intelligence of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS for 2026 was held. Along with the employees of the department, the leadership of the Folklore Institute also participated in the meeting.

Opening the meeting with an introductory speech, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev, Director of the Institute of Folklore and the Head of the Department of Digital folklore and artificial intelligence said that the Department of Digital folklore and artificial intelligence was established at the Institute of Folklore last year within the framework of the “Digital Development Concept in the Republic of Azerbaijan” approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated January 16, 2025, as well as the “Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025–2028” approved by the Order dated March 19, 2025 and the relevant decisions of the Presidium of ANAS.

Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that the activities of the department for 2026 were widely discussed in the Scientific Council and it was brought to attention that digital transformation processes and the application of artificial intelligence create new challenges for scientific institutions. He also noted specifically the need to apply these approaches in the field of folklore studies.

The agenda of the meeting included issues raised at the meeting dedicated to the unified action plan entitled “New Digital Architecture of Azerbaijan” chaired by President Ilham Aliyev. It was noted that the formation of the nationwide digital management model, the integration of information resources and the application of artificial intelligence technologies should be considered as priority areas in the activities of scientific institutions.

Then the action plan for 2026 reflecting the scientific and scientific-technical activities of the department's employees, was discussed. It was noted that the priority areas of the department include the study of new virtual socio-cultural dynamics created by digital transformations and the investigation of various aspects of Internet folklore based on socio-anthropological folklore approaches.

The issues discussed at the meeting including those related to digital transformations and the application of artificial intelligence Head of the Science and Education Department of the Presidium of ANAS, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Sarkhan Khavari, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the Institute of Folklore, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Afag Ramazanova, the scientific secretary, Doctor of Philosophy in Philology Elchin Abbasov  and the employees of the department made speeches and mentioned that the tasks facing the department were of great importance in terms of organizing the activities of the Institute at the level of modern challenges and requirements.