Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the International Artificial Intelligence Center Alem.AI, which is being established to transform Kazakhstan into an AI-oriented state, ensuring the development of information technologies across all areas of public and economic life in the country, reports the business information center Kapital.kz, citing the press service of Akorda.
The head of state was presented with the concept of the Alem.AI Artificial Intelligence Center, which will be located in the Nur Alem sphere.
According to the Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, Jaslan Madiyev, schools such as Tomorrow School and Tumo Education will be opened at the Center. It is planned to train over 1,000 schoolchildren in programming, robotics, and other creative technologies, as well as prepare 1,000 highly qualified specialists annually. The International Center Alem.AI will also serve as a campus for startup acceleration and support research projects in this field.
The president was informed about promising domestic startup projects and companies participating in incubation and acceleration programs.
Among them is the company Cybernet.ai, specializing in the development and implementation of voice robots for customer interaction, and the company ArlanBiotech, which aims to contribute to solving complex tasks in immunotherapy and diagnostics. Another promising startup, Higgsfield AI, has created an advanced system to help scientists and engineers train complex computer models.
The head of state was informed about the activities of Tik-Tok and Netracker in Kazakhstan. Thanks to tax preferences, visa support, and other favorable conditions, foreign companies and IT specialists are becoming part of the Astana Hub ecosystem. Currently, negotiations are underway to establish offices for Telegram, TON, Tether, Google, EPAM, and other representatives of the global IT industry for the implementation of research projects and the development of new products.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was also presented with domestic developments in the field of artificial intelligence. These include industrial solutions such as digital twins of deposits, drone management, and a robotic dog for production.
The president was shown the application of artificial intelligence technologies in providing public services, as well as informed about the capabilities of the AITU ecosystem, projects of the Artificial Intelligence Institute (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University – the first Kazakh language model KazLLM and the multifunctional application Soyle App.
The head of state then shared his vision for the development of artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan and noted the tremendous potential of the country in the IT sector.
“It is necessary to build an economy based on knowledge and innovation. To be a technologically and economically advanced country, it is crucial to pay special attention to the development of human capital, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. In our time, this is indispensable. Humanity now lives in a digital world. According to experts, the effectiveness of artificial intelligence technology will grow every year. Therefore, we have ambitious tasks to make Kazakhstan the largest digital hub in Eurasia. We need to approach the issues of digital development from a new perspective,” stated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The president reminded that earlier in his Address, he proposed the initiative to create a National Center for Artificial Intelligence. He suggested expanding this idea and making the Center international, transforming it into a key institution for the development of artificial intelligence in the region.
“The International Center Alem.AI should become the epicenter of the AI movement and a symbol of Kazakhstan's digital transformation. This platform will unite the best minds of our country and attract talents from around the world. Research and development laboratories, a programming school, and offices of international technology companies will be located here. Astana Hub and Alem.AI should become a true factory of innovations, attracting international partners, stimulating scientific research, and creating solutions for all key sectors of the economy, education, and social sphere,” said the head of state.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev considers it important to continue forming an institutional environment. He reported that by his order, the government has adopted the Concept for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for 2024-2029.
“I instruct to create a Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence with the involvement of leading international experts. This will ensure the synchronization of our institutional environment with advanced global standards. As far as I know, parliament members have initiated a draft law on ‘Artificial Intelligence’. Legislative work should be approached thoroughly. Neural networks not only open up great prospects but also pose serious risks and threats. For example, high-quality fakes are currently being actively created to spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion. It is necessary to legally establish principles for the responsible use of artificial intelligence, ethical aspects, and to ensure transparency and openness in its development and application,” emphasized the president.
The head of state addressed the issues of developing the industry's infrastructure. In his opinion, AI technologies require modern computing power.
“Today, the global market is experiencing a severe shortage of computing resources, which will only increase in the near future. I instruct the government to create the necessary conditions aimed at attracting large international companies to build data centers, as well as to implement global cybersecurity standards and enhance the qualifications of specialists,” instructed Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Another priority task set forth in the speech was the quality digitization and organization of data. The government has been instructed to take measures to form datasets based on which the state, business, and AI enthusiasts can create, train, and develop artificial intelligence models.
“An example of a comprehensive approach in this area is the national language model KazLLM. We have taught artificial intelligence to think, analyze, and communicate in the Kazakh language. This significant achievement opens new prospects for the development of the Kazakh language in the digital environment. It is important to continue the extensive work that has been initiated. We need to create a Multimodal language model for the Kazakh language that can simultaneously utilize various types of data. I instruct the government to work on the issue of funding projects in this direction,” said the head of state.
He pointed out the need to enhance citizens' competence in the field of artificial intelligence. As noted by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the goal of training 1 million people in AI skills over 5 years requires special attention. Programs aimed at schoolchildren, students, civil servants, and entrepreneurs should receive maximum support.
“Domestic and international educational programs in the field of AI technologies can contribute to strengthening the human resources potential of our country. I instruct the government to work on the phased implementation of the AI-Sana program for training specialists in the field of artificial intelligence. The program should promote the formation of a dynamic ecosystem that integrates education, research, and startup development. It is necessary to utilize the experience of acceleration from leading global universities. We need to convey the benefits of artificial intelligence to every resident of Kazakhstan, explain its necessity, and how to apply it correctly,” said the president.
The government has been instructed to take measures to implement mechanisms for the widespread use of artificial intelligence by citizens.
“Kazakhstan has all the capabilities to take leading positions in the field of innovation and advanced technologies. Digitalization and the widespread implementation of artificial intelligence should become the guarantee of progressive development for our country. I am convinced that this ambitious goal is within our reach,” concluded Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.