On October 1, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held the first meeting of the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence.
Tokayev emphasized that without the development of artificial intelligence, it is impossible to withstand global competition. He stated that digital systems and artificial intelligence have become essential for the country’s sovereignty and a driving force for economic growth.
“That’s why we’ve set ourselves an ambitious goal: to transform Kazakhstan into a fully-fledged digital country within three years. Overall, a lot of work has been done in this area in the country. Today, over 92% of government services are available online. Last year, the share of cashless payments in the country exceeded 85%. In the first six months of this year alone, 26 million digital services were provided to Kazakhstani citizens, half of which were provided via smartphones. These are good results.”
The President further emphasized that we are living in an era of profound transformation, where AI is having a decisive influence on the development of the economy, public administration, science, and, above all, education.
The Head of State identified the comprehensive development of domestic technologies and the training of highly qualified IT specialists as an important task. He emphasized the need to prioritize improving the quality of education.
“Universities should prepare a new generation of domestic engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs capable of creating cutting-edge technologies that meet modern global needs. Earlier this year, we launched the AI-Sana program, through which over 440,000 students have already received specialized certificates in artificial intelligence. Such programs are extremely valuable, as they are the platforms through which the best projects can develop into startups and gain access to the international market.”
According to Tokayev, the first priority is to establish a specialized research university in the field of AI in the country.
Tokayev identified expanding access to quality education as another pressing task. “The widespread use of AI will create real conditions for reducing the gap in educational standards between the center and the regions, and between cities and villages. This is especially true for small schools. The introduction of artificial intelligence technologies is also crucial for providing comprehensive support to children with special educational needs. Our goal is to create a truly inclusive educational environment. This is one of the fundamental conditions for building a Just Kazakhstan.”
The President pointed out the need to take into account the inevitable transformation of the labor market. “It is already clear today that many professions will gradually be replaced by automated systems. This will lead to the release of a significant proportion of the workforce and an increase in the number of specialists with outdated skills. This is a very important issue. If it is not addressed, the risks of social consequences such as rising unemployment, declining quality of life, and increased inequality will increase. However, AI can also contribute to solving the problem. AI technologies are capable of analyzing the professional competencies of workers, identifying their strengths, and recommending the most promising paths for development. We need to act proactively, creating broad opportunities for retraining and upskilling the workforce… The main task is to turn the risk of job losses into an opportunity for millions of citizens. In other words, the enormous potential of artificial intelligence must be used to create new jobs, strengthen human capital, and accelerate the country’s socio-economic development. I instruct the Government to launch a national AI-based online platform for retraining laid-off workers for future professions,” the President said.
