AI - The Times Of Central Asia

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Motoring

Kazakhstan to Introduce AI in Driver’s License Exams

Kazakhstan plans to introduce artificial AI technologies into both the theoretical and practical components of driver’s license exams. At the same time, citizens will be allowed to take the exams an unlimited number of times without having to repeat training at driving schools. The initiatives were presented by Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, together with representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the proposed changes, augmented reality (AR) technologies will be used in the theoretical exam, while computer vision systems will monitor practical driving tests. These measures are intended to increase transparency and prevent the use of prohibited devices. “These measures will make it possible to minimize the use of prohibited technical tools and to record violations,” the government press service said. A pilot project is set to be launched at a branch of the National Testing Center under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Astana. The project will test technologies aimed at ensuring academic integrity, as well as conduct psychometric analysis of exam questions to verify their reliability and alignment with safe driving standards. The new rules provide for the possibility of an unlimited number of exam attempts on a paid basis, with a mandatory interval of at least 10 calendar days between attempts. Currently, applicants are granted three free attempts, two with a one-day interval and a third after 30 days. After exhausting these attempts, retraining at a driving school is required. According to the government, the new approach will make the process more accessible and reduce corruption risks by eliminating incentives to obtain licenses illegally. Plans also include strengthening the information security of digital systems used in the licensing process by classifying them as critical information infrastructure. This would introduce stricter liability for unauthorized interference, including criminal penalties. Administrative liability will also be introduced for individuals who assist in illegally obtaining driver’s licenses. Violations such as the use of micro earpieces, hidden cameras, and other transmitting devices will be punishable by fines and disqualification from taking the theoretical exam for up to one year. The reforms will also affect driving schools. Licensing requirements are expected to be introduced, and their performance will be evaluated based on training quality and public feedback. Licenses may be revoked in cases of consistently poor standards. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Senator Gennady Shipovskikh had earlier proposed restoring state oversight of private driving schools.

AI Will Help the Kyrgyz Parliament Speed Up the Legislative Process

The Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament of Kyrgyzstan) is introducing the e-Kenesh digital platform, which is intended to move parliamentary committee work into an electronic format and use artificial intelligence to help analyze draft legislation. According to the parliament’s press service, the platform is designed to replace paper-based workflows and provide lawmakers with access to all agenda materials via tablets already distributed to deputies. The software was developed by local specialists in cooperation with parliamentary staff. The e-Kenesh system will also allow civil servants and experts to participate in committee meetings remotely, joining discussions from their workplaces or while on official travel. Parliament says this should make participation easier for officials and experts and improve coordination around committee work. At the same time, key speakers will continue to attend meetings in person to respond to lawmakers’ questions. The platform is intended to make committee work and legislative tracking more transparent. Users will be able to track the history of each issue, including deliberations, decisions, authorship of legislative initiatives, and voting records. One of e-Kenesh’s new features is an AI module that can analyze draft laws and generate short summaries. This will help deputies quickly navigate documents and better understand the objectives of proposed legislation. “You will be able to see which issue was considered and when, as well as what decisions were made. It will also show which MP submitted a proposal and how they voted. Additionally, the app will provide a brief summary of each bill. Artificial intelligence is also being implemented to analyze bills and explain their content and objectives,” said Parliament Speaker Marlen Mamataliev. According to the Speaker, starting next week, all parliamentary committees are expected to fully abandon paper documents and transition to electronic document management. The shift reflects Kyrgyzstan’s broader push to digitize public administration and streamline legislative work. Developers noted that the system will continue to be refined during implementation, with any technical issues addressed as they arise.

Energy Transition

Investments, Resources, and Digital Transformation: How Central Asia Can Preserve Its Strategic Balance

Rising global demand for critical resources, the accelerating green transition, and the digitalization of the economy are turning Central Asia from a peripheral region into one of the key arenas of geoeconomic competition. Kazakhstan and its neighbors are increasingly in the focus of the United States, China, the European Union, and the Gulf states—as sources of raw materials, sites for infrastructure projects, and markets for the implementation of digital solutions. Under these conditions, the key question is no longer the volume of investment, but control over its quality, structure, and long-term consequences. The resource factor: from raw materials to a geoeconomic asset Central Asia is now becoming a strategic storehouse for the global green transition and high-tech industries. The region possesses enormous reserves of critical raw materials: Kazakhstan leads the world in uranium production, at about 40% of the global market, while deposits of copper, lithium, cobalt, uranium, and rare metals across Kazakhstan and the wider region are making Central Asia an increasingly important link in clean-energy and high-tech supply chains. Investment activity in the extractive sector is stimulating the development of related high-tech industries within the region. Global players are increasingly coming not simply for raw materials, but with proposals to localize processing. Thus, in November 2024, Kazakhstan’s first tungsten processing plant began operating at the Boguty deposit in the Almaty region. The project, valued at $300 million, is being implemented by Aral Kegen, a subsidiary of Jiaxin International Resources Investment. In addition, in the East Kazakhstan region, with the participation of the German mining company HMS Bergbau AG, two new industrial enterprises specializing in lithium extraction and processing are planned by 2029. Work is underway on the construction of a mining and processing plant, as well as a pegmatite ore processing facility. This allows the countries of the region to move away from the “quarry” model toward the model of a technological hub, where natural wealth becomes leverage for gaining access to Western and Eastern innovation. Investment transformation: from capital to ecosystems The traditional model, focused on extraction, is gradually giving way to the formation of value-added ecosystems. This presupposes the development of processing, the creation of high-tech production, and the formation of a scientific base. Kazakhstan’s national companies, such as Tau-Ken Samruk, Kazatomprom, and KazMunayGas, act as a strategic “anchor” for foreign capital, taking on the primary risks and bureaucratic burden. They absorb part of the early project risk, from licensing and exploration to infrastructure and coordination with the state, making entry into Kazakhstan easier for major foreign investors. This allows the state to retain control over strategic assets while using private capital for accelerated modernization of the sector. The main emphasis today is shifting from raw material extraction to the localization of higher value-added stages. Through the creation of joint ventures, national companies are introducing Western technologies and building plants with high added value, from the production of nuclear fuel assemblies to the manufacture of polyethylene and metal refining. In this way, they integrate Kazakh business...

Critical Minerals

Opinion: Supply Chains of Power: How Critical Minerals Are Shaping China–U.S. Competition in Central Asia

Central Asia is no longer a distant frontier for global geopolitics. It is developing into a central arena of competition for critical minerals, supply chains, and industrial power, where minerals are no longer simple commodities but have instead become key components of contemporary statecraft. In essence, this transformation highlights a recognition in Washington and other capitals that critical mineral supply chains are fundamental to next-generation energy systems, the development of artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic defense capabilities. Even as the global economy is multipolar, critical mineral supply chains remain highly concentrated and dominated by China. Control of rare earths is increasingly geopolitical, with clear economic, political, and security consequences. The significance of that imbalance is now shaping U.S. foreign policy, Central Asia’s development strategies, and the future of global economics. China’s Strategy: Control the Chain, Not Just the Mine Though many years in the making, China’s critical minerals strategy is still often misunderstood as focused primarily on resource access. However, Beijing’s efforts are far broader and more effective. Not only securing raw materials, the Chinese leadership has also worked to control the entire supply chain—from extraction to processing, refining, and manufacturing. China’s long-term focus and investments began in the 1980s with efforts that culminated in the Made in China 2025 plan for national and overseas manufacturing. In 2023 alone, Chinese firms invested more than $120 billion in overseas mining and processing, targeting key elements used in energy supply chains. Beijing also fed its industrial base by providing over $220 billion for the production of electric vehicles, batteries, and renewable infrastructure. As a result, China now controls approximately 60% of lithium processing, more than 70% of cobalt refining, and over 90% of battery material manufacturing. Strategically, China controls roughly 90% of global rare earth refining and associated technologies. Early investments in supplies enabled Beijing to subsequently concentrate funds into refining capacity to feed its industrial sector. This integrated approach has shifted the power dynamic for global supply chains tied to the critical minerals economy. As evidenced by Beijing’s near monopoly on processing, market control is not just associated with geological supplies but with processing capacity. China’s willingness to weaponize access not only to rare earths but also to processing technology demonstrates Beijing’s market muscle. This distinction is critical. Rare earth elements are not inherently scarce, but they are rarely found in concentrated deposits, making them difficult to extract and refine. Over decades, Beijing developed unique refining capabilities and subsidized an industrial base that disincentivized competition and encouraged processing to shift to China. The Vicious Circle Prohibitive investment costs, long development timelines, and market volatility have discouraged Western investment in alternative supply chains. Each stage (mining, processing, refining, manufacturing) is interdependent: miners won’t invest without buyers and offtake agreements, processors and refiners need secure financing and stable mineral supply, and manufacturers need steady inputs. Such interdependence creates an investment standoff and heightens perceptions of risk. By integrating all stages, Beijing exerts influence across global markets, from pricing to production. This has conditioned global markets...

Science

Plans Underway to Launch Humanoid Robot Production in Astana

Plans are underway to launch humanoid robot production in Astana at the Astana Hub International Technology Park, Minister of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence Zhaslan Madiev announced at a government meeting. According to Madiev, Astana Hub remains a key institution for fostering innovative entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. The technology park runs acceleration programs, including AI’preneurs, aimed at launching startups in the field of artificial intelligence. Since September 2024, 35 AI startups have been established through the program’s three cohorts. In collaboration with the city authorities, the Astana Innovations Accelerator program is also being implemented. It focuses on integrating startups into urban infrastructure and helping them secure commercial contracts. Following a competitive selection process, eight projects have received funding. The minister also reported that an “Exponential Cluster” is being developed at the technology park, an innovation platform designed to bring together science, startups, and industry. As part of this initiative, a network of technology centers is being created, covering areas such as robotics, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, medicine, and industrial applications. A humanoid robotics laboratory has already been launched at the Robotics Center. Projects include the development of teleoperation systems for robot control and the integration of robots with the AlemLLM language model for user interaction. Special attention is being given to unmanned technologies. According to Madiev, Kazakhstan plans to launch a pilot project for autonomous vehicles involving international companies in the second quarter of 2026. A separate private initiative to deploy delivery drones is also underway. At the Drone Center, construction of a “phygital” arena, combining physical and digital environments, and infrastructure for training unmanned aerial vehicle operators is nearing completion. All Astana Hub technology centers are expected to be operational by the end of the year. The ministry expects the cluster to support the launch of up to 500 startups annually, including more than 100 hardware projects, and to position Astana as a regional innovation hub. According to official data, by 2025 Astana Hub residents had created more than 32,500 jobs. A total of 537 companies export IT services to 111 countries, with export volumes reaching $681 million, an increase of 44% compared to the previous year. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the Chinese company AgiBot plans to launch the production and deployment of industrial robots in Kazakhstan.

Digital Payments

Tokayev Criticizes Banks Over Slow Adoption of Kazakhstan’s Digital Financial Infrastructure

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has criticized the country’s banks for their slow adoption of state-developed digital financial infrastructure. He made the remarks during a meeting on the implementation of the Digital Qazaqstan project. During the meeting, the heads of ministries and government agencies presented reports on the rollout of digital solutions in public administration and the economy. In his comments, the president stressed the need for more active deployment of artificial intelligence in industry, as well as progress in developing digital payment infrastructure. According to Tokayev, the National Bank has already created a digital financial ecosystem that includes interbank QR payments and transfers, as well as settlements using the digital tenge. “This significantly reduces costs by shortening the chain of payment intermediaries. The requirement for all banks to connect to this infrastructure is enshrined in law, but the largest banks are delaying compliance,” the president said. Since September 2025, a unified QR code system for interbank payments has been operating in Kazakhstan. The service allows users to pay for goods and services through mobile banking applications. Customers simply scan a QR code at a merchant’s terminal and confirm the transaction. Initially, the service was available to clients of three banks. At present, 15 banks have signed participation agreements, although only six have completed technical integration with the system. The remaining institutions are required to connect by July 18, 2026. Speaking in November 2025, National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov said the rollout had been slowed by both technical and market issues, adding that large financial ecosystems were reluctant to share payment traffic. He also described the digital tenge as a tool for transparency and control in public spending rather than a competitor to commercial banks’ own payment products. Tokayev also emphasized that the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in the real economy is a strategic priority. He linked this goal to the country’s technological sovereignty and called for accelerating the digitalization of the state apparatus. According to the president, more than 90% of public services in Kazakhstan have already been moved online, yet many government information systems remain insufficiently integrated. “Speed and quality must be the priority at every stage. It is data that needs to flow, not people,” Tokayev said. He added that digital transformation is incompatible with outdated bureaucratic practices. “Digitalization and bureaucracy are as incompatible as ice and fire. We cannot force modern technologies to fit into old administrative models,” the president stated. Tokayev also expressed concern about the pace of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation. “I read news about the development of artificial intelligence; it is advancing so rapidly that I am becoming anxious about Kazakhstan’s digital future. It seems to me that the digitalization process is slowing down,” he noted. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in the financial sector across Central Asia remains uneven, although Kazakhstan is currently regarded as the regional leader.