OpenAI - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 11

AI in Education

Turkmenistan Looks to OpenAI as it Modernizes Education

Officials from Turkmenistan have met with OpenAI to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in the country’s education system. The London meeting between a delegation from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Education and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, took place during the Education World Forum 2026 this week, according to state media. The forum is a major annual gathering in which governments, the private sector, international NGOs, and others network and discuss ways of improving education systems. The meeting between ministry officials and OpenAI representatives addressed the “practical possibilities” of using AI in schools, the state-run Turkmenistan: Golden Age outlet reported. “The main focus was placed on two areas of cooperation: the use of AI to improve the quality of education and the development of AI literacy among schoolchildren, students, teachers, and administrative personnel,” the publication reported. During the meeting, Turkmenistan outlined the development of electronic educational platforms in the country’s education system, while OpenAI discussed possible pilot programs involving the use of ChatGPT Edu, an AI platform designed to protect user data, in selected academic institutions. They agreed to consider ways to build practical AI skills, such as hackathons in which students would team up to build a project or solve a problem in a limited time period. Turkmenistan’s government retains tight controls on society, and education is highly centralized. Traditional problems include teacher shortages and concerns that a range of restrictions were holding back student development. Even so, the country has embarked on a campaign to modernize the system and expand contacts with international institutions. Nurmuhammet Shyhlyev, vice-rector of the International University of Humanities and Development of Turkmenistan, was in Japan this month. He discussed initiatives including the establishment of Japanese language centers in Ashgabat's higher education institutions and joint research on robotics, green technologies, and other topics. In March, Education Minister Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiyev met Stefania Giannini, UNESCO assistant director-general for education, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Digital Services Tax

Uzbekistan Collects $5 Million From Foreign Digital Companies in First Quarter

Foreign technology and digital service companies paid 65.7 billion Uzbek som ($5.1 million) in taxes in Uzbekistan during the first quarter of 2026, according to the country’s State Tax Committee. The figure represents an 81% increase compared to the same period in 2025, when foreign digital firms paid 36.2 billion som ($2.98 million) in taxes. The total value of electronic services provided by foreign companies in Uzbekistan also rose sharply, from 306.6 billion som ($25.2 million) in the first three months of 2025 to 552 billion som ($45.4 million) this year. The State Tax Committee said 89 foreign companies providing electronic services are currently registered as taxpayers in Uzbekistan. Among the largest taxpayers in the first quarter were Apple, which paid 16.1 billion som ($1.32 million) in taxes, followed by Google at 14.9 billion som ($1.23 million) and Meta at 13.9 billion som ($1.14 million). Other major contributors included Valve Corporation, which paid 8 billion som ($658,000), OpenAI with 2.5 billion som ($206,000), and Anthropic with 1.5 billion som ($123,000). Gaming and entertainment platforms also appeared among the top taxpayers. Midasbuy paid 1.3 billion som ($107,000), while TikTok, Booking.com, and Netflix collectively contributed more than 2 billion som ($165,000). Under Uzbek law, foreign legal entities providing electronic services must submit tax reports and pay taxes no later than the 20th day of the month following each reporting quarter. Previously, Kazakhstan reported that foreign digital platforms transferred nearly $18 million to the state budget in January 2026 alone through its digital services tax, commonly referred to as the “Google tax.” According to Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee, 120 foreign companies have registered as taxpayers there since the tax was introduced in 2022, generating a total of about $277.5 million in revenue.

Education

Kazakhstan Joins OpenAI’s Education for Countries Initiative

Kazakhstan has joined OpenAI’s Education for Countries program, becoming one of the first nations selected for the global initiative aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into national education systems. The program, launched by U.S.-based AI research and deployment company OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT, is part of the broader OpenAI for Countries framework. Kazakhstan joins the inaugural cohort alongside Estonia, Greece, Italy’s Conference of University Rectors, Jordan, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates. Kazakhstan’s participation marks the beginning of a nationwide rollout of ChatGPT Edu, OpenAI’s education-focused AI platform. According to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the initiative is considered strategically important for Kazakhstan’s long-term education policy. Amid global debates over AI’s role in education, Kazakh officials stress that artificial intelligence is not intended to replace teachers, but to support them by reducing administrative burdens, enhancing teaching capacity, and enabling personalized instruction. The introduction of ChatGPT Edu is expected to streamline lesson planning, improve assessment processes, and support individualized learning. The project is being implemented under agreements reached during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to the United States in November 2025. The key agreement was signed by OpenAI, Inc., Freedom Holding Corp., and Bilim Group. Crucially, the initiative is fully financed through private funding, with no allocations from the state budget or international grants. Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev noted that Kazakhstan’s inclusion in the first cohort coincides with the country declaring 2026 the Year of Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization. “We view ChatGPT Edu as a practical tool to support educators and strengthen the research environment,” Madiyev said, adding that the initiative reflects the government’s systematic approach to AI deployment in priority sectors. As part of the national rollout, 165,000 free ChatGPT Edu licenses will be distributed, including: 100,000 licenses for teachers in preschool, secondary, technical, and vocational education 62,800 licenses for university faculty and administrative staff 2,200 licenses for participants in the Astana Hub technology ecosystem ChatGPT Edu will enable educators to prepare materials, tests, and assignments in Kazakh, Russian, and English, with content tailored to students’ academic levels. Beginning in January 2026, nationwide training programs will be launched in cooperation with OpenAI specialists, focusing on the practical use of AI in teaching, administration, and research. Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek called the partnership with OpenAI a foundational step in shaping the future of Kazakhstan’s education system. “Artificial intelligence is not a replacement for humans. When used critically and responsibly, it enhances thinking,” Nurbek said. “In education and science, AI accelerates material preparation, improves feedback quality, and opens new research opportunities. Kazakhstan is not training users of artificial intelligence we are training its creators.” Kazakhstan currently leads Central Asia in AI adoption. According to Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute report Global AI Adoption in 2025 - A Widening Digital Divide, Kazakhstan ranked 72nd out of 147 countries, with 13.7% of its working-age population using AI tools by the end of 2025. By comparison: Kyrgyzstan ranked 117th (8.2%) Uzbekistan 141st (6.3%)...

OpenAI

OpenAI Registers as a Taxpayer in Kazakhstan

OpenAI, the U.S.-based developer of the ChatGPT chatbot, has officially registered as a taxpayer in Kazakhstan and will now pay value-added tax (VAT), according to the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of the Ministry of Finance. The announcement comes as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure equitable taxation of foreign digital service providers operating in the country’s market. Kazakhstan introduced its digital services tax, commonly referred to as the “Google tax”, in 2022, becoming one of the first countries in Central Asia to do so. The policy aims to bring major international tech firms into the national tax framework. “As part of improving interaction with global digital platforms, in May 2025, OpenAI, L.L.C., a leading American organization in the field of artificial intelligence and widely known as the developer of the ChatGPT intelligent system, was conditionally registered. Now, for providing services to individuals in Kazakhstan, the chatbot will pay VAT in accordance with tax legislation,” the SRC said in a statement. ChatGPT is based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) language model. It can understand and respond to user queries, assist with translations, compose letters, generate code, and support learning and research tasks. The digital services tax has become a significant revenue stream for Kazakhstan. In 2022, it contributed 16.4 billion KZT (approximately $32.1 million) to the state budget. Revenues increased to 26.3 billion KZT ($51.4 million) in 2023 and reached 26.4 billion KZT ($51.6 million) in 2024. To date, around 100 international companies, including Google, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon, are registered as VAT payers under the digital services tax regime. The registration process for foreign companies has been streamlined to facilitate compliance. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, OpenAI also registered as a taxpayer in Uzbekistan in April.

OpenAI Registers as Taxpayer in Uzbekistan

U.S.-based artificial intelligence company OpenAI has officially registered as a taxpayer in Uzbekistan. According to the State Tax Committee, OpenAI was added to the country's special platform for foreign electronic service providers on April 8, becoming the 67th international internet company to register in Uzbekistan. OpenAI is best known for developing ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that gained rapid global popularity following its launch in November 2022. Within five days, the platform surpassed one million users. In March 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4, a more advanced version of the model capable of understanding both text and images. Since November 2023, ChatGPT has been accessible to users in Uzbekistan. The move comes amid heightened efforts by Uzbek authorities to enforce tax compliance among foreign digital platforms operating in the country. On March 4, the National Agency for Perspective Projects and the State Tax Committee issued a joint warning to Chinese e-commerce platform Temu, which had failed to register as a taxpayer. As a result, access to Temu has been blocked in Uzbekistan since March 20. Although Temu is legally registered in Uzbekistan, the Tax Committee reported on March 18 that the platform still owes 46 billion UZS (approximately $3.5 million) in unpaid taxes. First Deputy Chairman of the Tax Committee Mubin Mirzayev stated that Temu must settle its debt before it can resume operations in the country. According to analyst Timurmalik Elmuradov, Temu faces two options: either open a local branch or register as a value-added tax (VAT) payer. The platform’s monthly sales in Uzbekistan are estimated at $8-9 million. Other foreign platforms have also come under scrutiny. Russian online retailer Wildberries, which initially received a similar warning, has since paid 52 billion UZS (about $4 million) in taxes, according to Mirzayev. The government says it is committed to ensuring that all e-commerce companies operating in Uzbekistan comply with local tax regulations.