Iran VP calls for unified national control of artificial intelligence

Iran’s leadership framing AI governance as something that requires “unity of command” is a window into how more centralized states are thinking about the technology. Rather than a pluralistic ecosystem of labs, regulators and civil-society groups, the vision here is a single, coherent chain of authority directing AI research, deployment and possibly access. In practice, that tends to mean tighter state control over compute, data and talent, and closer coupling between civilian and military AI agendas.

For the global race to AGI, Iran is not a first‑tier player on capabilities, but its stance illustrates a broader geopolitical dynamic: governments that already run centralized innovation systems are likely to double down on that model for AI. That can make domestic progress more brittle—fewer feedback loops, less external scrutiny—but it can also align resources quickly around clear state priorities, including defense and surveillance. For companies and labs outside Iran, this kind of rhetoric is a reminder that AI is being woven directly into national strategic doctrines, not treated as a neutral export industry.

As more states adopt “command-and-control” approaches to AI, the divergence with more open, multi‑stakeholder governance models will sharpen. That could complicate international coordination on safety standards and export controls, especially if centrally managed AI programs are also the least transparent.