Kazakhstan has put artificial intelligence and digitisation at the centre of its national growth strategy. This signals a decisive shift from managing risk to competing for leadership in the global digital economy.

In his State of the Nation address last year, the President set out a vision that treats AI not as a future aspiration but as a present‑day economic lever. That ambition is now becoming policy with the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Its task is to deliver a Digital Code guiding how every sector – from finance and energy to healthcare and education – adopts digital tools responsibly and at scale.

This is Kazakhstan’s leapfrog moment. Rather than gradually modernising legacy systems, we are laying the foundations to diversify our economy and embed innovation-led growth across society.

Building tomorrow’s AI leaders today

Education is central to that effort.

Kazakhstan has approved the first national framework for integrating AI into curricula, drawing on global best practice from UNESCO and the OECD. From this academic year, AI will be embedded across classrooms, supported by online learning and large-scale teacher training. More than 11,000 teachers have already been trained.

The timing matters. Globally, AI use in education is accelerating rapidly: by 2025, most students will use AI in their studies, and half of teachers will rely on it for lesson planning. The market is forecast to grow from $177 billion in 2023 to $2.7 trillion by 2033.

With nearly 30 per cent of the population under 15 and a median age of 29, we have a major demographic advantage. Converting this generation into a digitally fluent workforce is now an imperative.

Philanthropy is also helping convert strategy into action.

The NNEF Public Foundation, established by renowned educator Dinara Kulibayeva and supported by Timur Kulibayev through the Halyk Foundation, has made AI a core priority across its institutions. Universities including Astana IT University (AITU), the International Information Technology University, and the Kazakh‑British Technical University are embedding AI into their programmes to prepare students for innovation‑driven industries.

AITU, in particular, is moving at pace. Our recent partnership with US‑based Perplexity AI will provide nationwide access to Perplexity Pro and establish Central Asia’s first dedicated AI research and development centre. We have also joined MIT’s GLEEN global innovation network.

Kazakhstan’s place in the global adoption of AI

Kazakhstan’s message to the world is clear: we are open for business, ready to embrace change and determined to lead.

By aligning policy, education and philanthropy, we can turn ambition into action – developing a generation of AI leaders who will shape our future prosperity.