As part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan, AI MONTH 2026 kicks off on September 23, presenting a large-scale program of events in artificial intelligence and digital technologies. The initiative will unite the tech community, business sector, academia, startups, international experts, and regional initiatives across the country.
The central event of AI MONTH will be the international tech forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026, which will take place on October 1–3 in Astana.
In 2026, AI Week transformed into AI MONTH: the number of artificial intelligence initiatives has grown significantly, while the tech agenda expands across more industries, audiences, and regions nationwide. The new format brings these initiatives together into a unified program, showcasing the development of Kazakhstan's AI ecosystem on a national scale.
On September 23, AI MONTH will kick off with HackAlem AI powered by OpenAI, one of the world's largest hackathons focused on developing AI solutions. Teams of up to three members will build agentic AI solutions for 10 key sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy, with the mandatory use of Codex and OpenAI APIs.
The total value of prizes and technical resources for HackAlem AI stands at $1.1 million. This package includes a cash prize pool, API tokens, and OpenAI technical infrastructure, allowing participants to develop and launch their own AI solutions.
The winners of HackAlem AI will be awarded on the main stage of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 International Technology Forum. The hackathon will bring together developers, students, young professionals, startups, and IT enthusiasts, offering participants the opportunity to turn an idea into a functional AI solution in a short period.
On September 29–30, Astana will host KazHackStan, Central Asia's largest international cybersecurity conference. Over 100 regional and international speakers will address DevSecOps, OSINT, data protection, malware analysis, and emerging cyber threats linked to artificial intelligence.
During the same days, Astana will host a C5+1 international platform dedicated to AI cooperation between Central Asian nations and the United States. Representatives from governments, international organizations, and the tech community will discuss AI regulation, infrastructure development, talent cultivation, and stronger international tech partnerships.
The investment agenda will continue with the LP Summit, the first summit in Eurasia for LPs and VC investors. It will unite institutional investors, venture capital and sovereign wealth funds, corporations, and family offices to discuss the development of the venture ecosystem and new investment opportunities.
A dedicated stream of AI MONTH will focus on healthcare technologies. At AI and MedTech Day, experts, physicians, developers, and startups will discuss the application of artificial intelligence in diagnostics and healthcare management, while collaborating on new MedTech solutions.
One of the most captivating tech components will be the Unitree Humanoid Robotics Hackathon. Teams will program actual Unitree G1 humanoid robots provided by the organizers, solving real-world challenges directly on hardware without simulators.
Technology will also extend beyond the traditional IT agenda. From October 1 to 3, Astana will host the Astana AI Film Festival, an international festival showcasing an emerging movement in cinema where artificial intelligence serves as a full-fledged filmmaking tool. The program features AI-generated films, public screenings, panel discussions, and workshops exploring how technology is reshaping directing, visual style, storytelling, character design, special effects, and voice acting.
The program also includes the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League international robotics competitions, a UNICEF strategic foresight session on the impact of AI on the future of children and youth, corporate technology events, and other specialized formats.
Eurasia’s premier tech forum and one of the global IT industry's landmark events — AI & Digital Bridge 2026.
The forum will bring together executives from leading technology companies, global business founders, scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, and representatives of international organizations. The program focuses on artificial intelligence, tech entrepreneurship, investments, human capital development, and new opportunities in the digital economy.
Tickets for the open program on October 2–3 are already available on the official forum website at https://digitalbridge.ai/.
On October 1, a special high-level program will take place, featuring heads of state, international delegations, and tech industry leaders. Participation in this session is by invitation only.
On October 2 and 3, AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will present its open program for forum attendees, bringing together representatives from global tech companies, international experts, entrepreneurs, startups, and investors under one roof.
Among the confirmed speakers and participants for AI & Digital Bridge 2026 are Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of NVIDIA; Balaji Srinivasan, Founder of Network School; Kai-Fu Lee, Founder of Sinovation Ventures and 01.AI; Greg Wyler, Founder and CEO of E-Space; William Ford, Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic; Sebastian Kurz, Co-founder and President of Dream; Richard Stirling, Co-founder and CEO of Oxford Insights; Eleanor Olcott, Financial Times Correspondent; Yerzat Dulat, Co-founder and CTO of Higgsfield AI; Jamie Beaton, Founder of Crimson Education; Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of MA7 Ventures; Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC; Ramil Mukhoryapov, Co-founder of Choco Holding; and other leading figures from the global technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will serve as the premier platform for international tech dialogue, highlighting Kazakhstan's growth as a Eurasian AI hub—a destination for technology, talent, entrepreneurs, and investment.
AI MONTH extends far beyond Astana. Throughout the month, artificial intelligence and digital technology events will take place in regional tech hubs across Kazakhstan.
The lineup features workshops, bootcamps, hackathons, career meetups, pitch sessions, and startup battles. The events are open to students, educators, developers, entrepreneurs, startup teams, and professionals eager to learn and apply artificial intelligence in practice.
The regional program will engage participants from across the country in the tech agenda, enabling them to gain new skills, develop their own solutions, and present promising projects to the professional community.
Schedules, venues, and registration details for all regional events are available on the Astana Hub platform.
The month-long program will conclude with the Grand Final of alem.ai Battle, an AI competition organized by Astana Hub—the international technology park for IT startups dedicated to developing tech entrepreneurship and the IT industry in Kazakhstan.
The final will bring together the strongest teams and young talent from Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Participants will showcase their developments across four categories, making the finale a premier platform for presenting promising AI solutions.
In this way, AI MONTH brings the entire AI development lifecycle into a single program, spanning education, talent cultivation, and product development to tech entrepreneurship, venture capital attraction, and international collaboration.
This month-long format captures the scope of the transformation taking place across the country, demonstrating that the AI agenda is advancing not only through landmark international events, but also across regional tech hubs, academic institutions, startups, and enterprise businesses.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will serve as the centerpiece international platform of AI MONTH, showcasing Kazakhstan's role as an emerging Eurasian center for artificial intelligence and digital technology development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 is organized by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana Hub, and the Astana City Akimat.
AI MONTH brings together partners supporting the development of artificial intelligence, tech initiatives, and Kazakhstan's AI ecosystem. The Gold Partners of AI MONTH are Freedom Bank, Kaspi.kz, and Samruk-Kazyna JSC. The Silver Partner is Halyk Bank. The Transformation Partner is Beeline Kazakhstan. The Official Partner of HackAlem AI is Firebird AI KZ Ltd.
As part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan, AI MONTH 2026 kicks off on September 23, presenting a large-scale program of events in artificial intelligence and digital technologies. The initiative will unite the tech community, business sector, academia, startups, international experts, and regional initiatives across the country.
The central event of AI MONTH will be the international tech forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026, which will take place on October 1–3 in Astana.
In 2026, AI Week transformed into AI MONTH: the number of artificial intelligence initiatives has grown significantly, while the tech agenda expands across more industries, audiences, and regions nationwide. The new format brings these initiatives together into a unified program, showcasing the development of Kazakhstan's AI ecosystem on a national scale.
On September 23, AI MONTH will kick off with HackAlem AI powered by OpenAI, one of the world's largest hackathons focused on developing AI solutions. Teams of up to three members will build agentic AI solutions for 10 key sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy, with the mandatory use of Codex and OpenAI APIs.
The total value of prizes and technical resources for HackAlem AI stands at $1.1 million. This package includes a cash prize pool, API tokens, and OpenAI technical infrastructure, allowing participants to develop and launch their own AI solutions.
The winners of HackAlem AI will be awarded on the main stage of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 International Technology Forum. The hackathon will bring together developers, students, young professionals, startups, and IT enthusiasts, offering participants the opportunity to turn an idea into a functional AI solution in a short period.
On September 29–30, Astana will host KazHackStan, Central Asia's largest international cybersecurity conference. Over 100 regional and international speakers will address DevSecOps, OSINT, data protection, malware analysis, and emerging cyber threats linked to artificial intelligence.
During the same days, Astana will host a C5+1 international platform dedicated to AI cooperation between Central Asian nations and the United States. Representatives from governments, international organizations, and the tech community will discuss AI regulation, infrastructure development, talent cultivation, and stronger international tech partnerships.
The investment agenda will continue with the LP Summit, the first summit in Eurasia for LPs and VC investors. It will unite institutional investors, venture capital and sovereign wealth funds, corporations, and family offices to discuss the development of the venture ecosystem and new investment opportunities.
A dedicated stream of AI MONTH will focus on healthcare technologies. At AI and MedTech Day, experts, physicians, developers, and startups will discuss the application of artificial intelligence in diagnostics and healthcare management, while collaborating on new MedTech solutions.
One of the most captivating tech components will be the Unitree Humanoid Robotics Hackathon. Teams will program actual Unitree G1 humanoid robots provided by the organizers, solving real-world challenges directly on hardware without simulators.
Technology will also extend beyond the traditional IT agenda. From October 1 to 3, Astana will host the Astana AI Film Festival, an international festival showcasing an emerging movement in cinema where artificial intelligence serves as a full-fledged filmmaking tool. The program features AI-generated films, public screenings, panel discussions, and workshops exploring how technology is reshaping directing, visual style, storytelling, character design, special effects, and voice acting.
The program also includes the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League international robotics competitions, a UNICEF strategic foresight session on the impact of AI on the future of children and youth, corporate technology events, and other specialized formats.
Eurasia’s premier tech forum and one of the global IT industry's landmark events — AI & Digital Bridge 2026.
The forum will bring together executives from leading technology companies, global business founders, scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, startups, and representatives of international organizations. The program focuses on artificial intelligence, tech entrepreneurship, investments, human capital development, and new opportunities in the digital economy.
Tickets for the open program on October 2–3 are already available on the official forum website at https://digitalbridge.ai/.
On October 1, a special high-level program will take place, featuring heads of state, international delegations, and tech industry leaders. Participation in this session is by invitation only.
On October 2 and 3, AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will present its open program for forum attendees, bringing together representatives from global tech companies, international experts, entrepreneurs, startups, and investors under one roof.
Among the confirmed speakers and participants for AI & Digital Bridge 2026 are Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of NVIDIA; Balaji Srinivasan, Founder of Network School; Kai-Fu Lee, Founder of Sinovation Ventures and 01.AI; Greg Wyler, Founder and CEO of E-Space; William Ford, Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic; Sebastian Kurz, Co-founder and President of Dream; Richard Stirling, Co-founder and CEO of Oxford Insights; Eleanor Olcott, Financial Times Correspondent; Yerzat Dulat, Co-founder and CTO of Higgsfield AI; Jamie Beaton, Founder of Crimson Education; Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of MA7 Ventures; Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC; Ramil Mukhoryapov, Co-founder of Choco Holding; and other leading figures from the global technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will serve as the premier platform for international tech dialogue, highlighting Kazakhstan's growth as a Eurasian AI hub—a destination for technology, talent, entrepreneurs, and investment.
AI MONTH extends far beyond Astana. Throughout the month, artificial intelligence and digital technology events will take place in regional tech hubs across Kazakhstan.
The lineup features workshops, bootcamps, hackathons, career meetups, pitch sessions, and startup battles. The events are open to students, educators, developers, entrepreneurs, startup teams, and professionals eager to learn and apply artificial intelligence in practice.
The regional program will engage participants from across the country in the tech agenda, enabling them to gain new skills, develop their own solutions, and present promising projects to the professional community.
Schedules, venues, and registration details for all regional events are available on the Astana Hub platform.
The month-long program will conclude with the Grand Final of alem.ai Battle, an AI competition organized by Astana Hub—the international technology park for IT startups dedicated to developing tech entrepreneurship and the IT industry in Kazakhstan.
The final will bring together the strongest teams and young talent from Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Participants will showcase their developments across four categories, making the finale a premier platform for presenting promising AI solutions.
In this way, AI MONTH brings the entire AI development lifecycle into a single program, spanning education, talent cultivation, and product development to tech entrepreneurship, venture capital attraction, and international collaboration.
This month-long format captures the scope of the transformation taking place across the country, demonstrating that the AI agenda is advancing not only through landmark international events, but also across regional tech hubs, academic institutions, startups, and enterprise businesses.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 will serve as the centerpiece international platform of AI MONTH, showcasing Kazakhstan's role as an emerging Eurasian center for artificial intelligence and digital technology development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 is organized by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana Hub, and the Astana City Akimat.
AI MONTH brings together partners supporting the development of artificial intelligence, tech initiatives, and Kazakhstan's AI ecosystem. The Gold Partners of AI MONTH are Freedom Bank, Kaspi.kz, and Samruk-Kazyna JSC. The Silver Partner is Halyk Bank. The Transformation Partner is Beeline Kazakhstan. The Official Partner of HackAlem AI is Firebird AI KZ Ltd.
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