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Abstract

The impact of strategically constructing software and application mechanisms to digitally empower Central Asia and, subsequently, to soft-empower other states through artificial intelligence (AI) language technologies or culturally specific AIs is the main goal of this research study. As Central Asia's digital landscape grows, its governments are creating and implementing e-governance solutions, AI language technologies, and culturally specific applications.

The study will answer the following questions: (1) What is the Central Asian government’s goal when using regionally specific software and applications (e-government portals, egov.uz, egov.kz, cultural heritage applications, and language and speech technologies uzbekvoice.ai) and how does it intend to achieve its goal of gaining power beyond its borders? (2) In what ways does the regional digital platform and its content producers create, nurture, or strengthen cross-border cultural relationships? (3) To what extent does youth trust in locally produced e‑government platforms differ from their trust in global internet services (e.g., Google, Meta, TikTok), and what factors explain this difference?

The study will prove or disprove the following claims: a culturally specific digital platform initiated or created within its own environment will have a greater degree of capture, attraction, perception, and acceptance within the given region; a platform that is adapted or tailored to the given region will have greater user engagement and collaboration than the global platforms; and there is a direct relationship between the youth’s digital literacy and the resilience and sustainability of the influence on the state's messaging.

This study combines several different methodologies and forms of analysis, including multi-sited digital ethnography and network and sentiment analyses of different social media platforms, as well as quantitative analyses of downloads and citations, surveys, interviews with youth, etc.

The study will attempt to find e-government platforms in Central Asia that function as soft power and empower cross-border engagement as a response to the digital literacy divide.

This research adds to the scholarship on digital agency in Central Asia, illustrating how digitally localized software creates new regional realities and providing actionable recommendations for the digital governance of soft power in the Global South.

key words: Software, Soft Power, digitalization, Central Asia, mobile apps, AI chatbots, e-gov