digital bridge 2025 - The Times Of Central Asia

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Artificial Intelligence Joins Board of Directors at Samruk-Kazyna

For the first time in Central Asia, a neural network has been appointed to the board of directors of a major state fund. The SKAI system (Samruk-Kazyna Artificial Intelligence), developed around a domestic language model, now holds voting rights on the board of the Samruk-Kazyna National Wealth Fund. A Digital Voice in Governance SKAI was officially introduced in Astana at the Digital Bridge 2025 international forum. The system is described by the fund as the first AI-powered and independent board member in the region with decision-making powers. According to Samruk-Kazyna, SKAI analyzes internal and external regulations, board decisions dating back to 2008, and other corporate documentation. Its deployment is expected to improve “transparency and the quality of corporate governance” by enabling more data-driven decisions. Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna, hailed the development as a “quantum leap.” “Technology and people are beginning to make decisions together. Digitalization is moving beyond processes; it’s becoming part of leadership philosophy,” he said. Security and Supercomputing Cybersecurity was a top priority in SKAI’s development. It operates within a closed network on the Al Farabium supercomputer, owned by Kazakhtelecom, a portfolio company of the fund. Kazakhstan’s most powerful supercomputing resources, built with NVIDIA hardware, are being used to support the system. SKAI runs on Alem LLM, a large language model trained on Kazakh data, allowing it to process sensitive documents domestically without information being transmitted abroad. SKAI is expected to participate in upcoming board meetings as part of Samruk-Kazyna’s broader digital transformation agenda. AI at the Heart of National Strategy The initiative aligns with Kazakhstan’s national digital transformation strategy. Speaking at the Digital Bridge 2025 forum, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated the goal of becoming a fully digital nation within three years. “We have set a clear objective: Kazakhstan must become a truly digital nation within three years. This is an ambitious task,” Tokayev said. He also reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s intent to engage in global AI governance efforts under the United Nations and welcomed China’s initiative to establish an international organization for AI cooperation. Institutions and Infrastructure In 2025, Kazakhstan launched the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, as well as the region’s first AI Council. The government is also preparing legislation, including a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Law and a Digital Code, which will form the foundation for AI governance in education, healthcare, and the economy. Tokayev announced the establishment of Kazakhstan’s first AI-focused university and the Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence. He described the center as a “historic step” intended to become a platform for ethical AI development and a core institution within Central Asia’s emerging tech ecosystem. “Alem.ai will be a place where artificial intelligence technologies are implemented efficiently and ethically,” the president said. Established in 2008, Samruk-Kazyna manages national assets and spearheads economic modernization. The Government of Kazakhstan remains its sole shareholder. The fund’s Chairman of the Board of Directors is Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, and the Chairman of the Management Board is Nurlan Zhakupov. Samruk-Kazyna’s total assets are...

Tourism

Kazakhstan to Count Tourists Using Mobile Data

Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics will begin tracking tourist flows in the country’s resort areas using anonymized mobile data, the agency’s head Maksat Turlubaev announced at the Digital Bridge 2025 international forum. Turlubaev noted that recent amendments to the country’s laws “On State Statistics” and “On Communications” now provide a legal foundation for using anonymized mobile data for statistical purposes, aligning with international best practices. Among the key applications will be the generation of real-time information on domestic and international tourist flows. Currently, Kazakhstan’s tourism statistics are compiled through surveys of accommodation facilities and households, as well as data from the Border Service of the National Security Committee and the Ministry of Ecology. These traditional methods, however, face limitations, including incomplete coverage, high respondent burden, and delays in data collection. Following the implementation of the new legislation, a pilot project was launched this summer in partnership with Estonian firm Positium and with support from the World Bank. The initiative analyzed a 5% anonymized sample of data from mobile operator Kcell, covering the period from July 2023 to June 2024, to assess domestic tourist flows. The results far surpassed those of traditional survey methods. “Mobile data analysis showed that the number of domestic tourists reached 107.6 million, compared to 7.8 million in official statistics,” said Turlubaev. “In the Alakol resort area in southeastern Kazakhstan, mobile data recorded 658,200 visitors, 2.4 times higher than official figures. Mobile data allows us not only to count tourists, but to capture a comprehensive, objective picture of internal mobility and real travel patterns. It accounts for short-term and informal visitors not reflected in traditional methods, highlights seasonal trends, and shows the impact of holidays on tourism activity. This gives us a valuable tool for management, infrastructure planning, and evaluating the economic impact of tourism.” The methodology Kazakhstan plans to adopt aligns with recommendations from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It offers enhanced accuracy, near real-time analytics, reduced respondent burden, and the capacity to model tourist and migration flows using artificial intelligence. “This marks a major step in building a modern, digital statistical agency,” Turlubaev added. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan recorded a 62% rise in tourists from five Arab countries in 2024, reflecting broader efforts to diversify and modernize its tourism sector.

Energy

Kazakhstan’s Two Futures on Display at Energy and Digital Forums in Astana

As the temperatures in Astana dipped below zero this week, the capital played host to two international gatherings that offered sharply contrasting visions of Kazakhstan’s future. On one bank of the Ishim River, industry veterans and government officials gathered for Kazakhstan Energy Week in the cavernous halls of the Independence Palace. Just across town, the Astana Digital Bridge forum drew swarms of young entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to the gleaming Expo Center. The Old Guard Assembles Energy Week opened at 10 a.m. sharp on Thursday, October 2nd. Beneath gold-and-jade ceilings, chandeliers clinging to them like stalactites, padded white leather chairs were lined up neatly on stage. They were filled by some of the oil industries leading lights; dark suits were de rigueur. Over lunch, a string quartet performed Gardel’s Por Una Cabeza, while the final evening saw delegates invited to see Verdi’s Rigoletto at Astana’s ostentatious opera house. The format was carefully stage managed. Executives delivered their speeches like lecturers at a school assembly, with the audience listening politely. Questions from the floor were not invited. There was a certain quiet bullishness amongst those present – the air of an industry that had been written off, but far from ready to concede relevance. Oil and gas continue to provide 35% of GDP and 75% of exports, despite talk of an energy transition. “We expected a tailing off in demand on a global level, and this has not happened,” said Richard Howe, Executive Vice President of Shell’s Exploration and Production division during a panel of energy executives. Beside him, Askhat Khassenov, Chairman of the Board at KazMunayGas, was a little more smug – “It looks like oil and gas are going to be around for a lot longer than some had anticipated,” he said. Nevertheless, regular attendees at Kazakhstan’s annual energy shindig noted that the event was notably quieter than in previous years. Russians were absent, and Europeans few and far between. Delegations from neighboring Central Asian and Middle Eastern states padded out the numbers, perhaps reflecting countries in a similar situation. The audience skewed heavily male and middle-aged. While a side event titled “Women in Oil” took place in a nearby hall, the real worry was generational. Both Howe of Shell and Bakhodirjon Sidikov of Uzbekneftegas admitted that talent – or the lack of it – was their biggest challenge. Concerns about the lack of top scientists have also been taken up at the highest level. “Today, 90% of university graduates have bachelor's degrees. Meanwhile, the proportion of PhD holders is less than 1%,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said earlier this week. “Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of grants for doctoral studies, with preference given to technical specialties.” If the message of Energy Week was that Kazakhstan’s present still runs on oil and gas, it was also clear the sector is worried about who will run it tomorrow. [caption id="attachment_37005" align="aligncenter" width="355"] Image: Joe Luc Barnes, TCA[/caption] New Kazakhstan For the future talent, you only had to drive...