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IT, artificial intelligence and digital security – expert on Tokayev's theses in an interview

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in an interview in the newspaper “Ana tili” spoke about the prospects of digitalization and the introduction of artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan. We talked with Assel Abdildaeva, PhD, associate professor and head of the IT company ByteMachine, about President Tokayev's theses in the field of high technology development and what achievements Kazakhstan demonstrates, Toppress reports.

– Assel Asylbekovna, the head of state often talks about the importance of developing high technologies in Kazakhstan and supports this area. In your opinion, what does this mean?

– The attention and support that the president provides to the development of high technologies indicate that he looks to the future and understands the importance of innovation for the sustainable development of the country. Firstly, it speaks to his progressive thinking: he realizes that in the digital age, without investments in IT and artificial intelligence, the state risks falling behind world leaders.

Secondly, he demonstrates the ability to identify priorities and effectively mobilize resources, from financing infrastructure projects to launching educational programs to train specialists. It is also important to note that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev seeks to establish a dialogue with young people and the IT community, showing that he is interested in their ideas and the development of innovations within the country.

Third, its support for high technology reflects a strategic vision for the future of Kazakhstan's economy. Creating conditions for digitalization, the startup movement and attracting global digital nomads increases the country's competitiveness in the international arena and opens the way to the export of IT services. All this suggests that he is able to combine ambitious goals with practical steps to achieve them.

– How has the field of artificial intelligence and digitalization in Kazakhstan changed in recent years? What would you call the achievements of recent years?

– Over the past 5-7 years, Kazakhstan has made a significant breakthrough in digitalization and the introduction of artificial intelligence. However, this was especially pronounced after the pandemic. The limitations and transition of many online processes have shown us how important flexible IT infrastructure, electronic services, and digital skills are. At this moment, those initiatives and projects that could have moved at a slow pace received an additional impetus for development. First of all, it was due to what happened: the almost instantaneous spread of access to high-speed Internet from government and business. This has become the "building material" for further innovations, including AI. New data centers and cloud solutions have been introduced in the country, which safely provide the ability to process gigabytes of information both in companies and nationwide structures.

The other side of the coin is the dramatic increase in online services and electronic public services. The pandemic has forced many processes to go digital: now it is possible to issue key documents, file tax reports and even open a business through the eGov portal. This allowed Kazakhstan to strengthen its position in the UN world ranking on e-government and reduce bureaucratic barriers for citizens and entrepreneurs. There has been a noticeable increase in interest in training IT personnel and in the new educational agenda. Many universities and colleges have started updating their curricula and introducing specialized courses on artificial intelligence and data analysis. Additional grants and initiatives have been launched to help young professionals develop in the country rather than go abroad. In this sense, Astana Hub and other technology parks have become a platform for the implementation of startup projects and the development of young IT entrepreneurship.

The field of artificial intelligence deserves special attention. The growing need for automation and big data processing has led to the increased use of artificial intelligence solutions in finance, medicine, education and industry in Kazakhstan.

Thus, after the pandemic, the digital transformation in Kazakhstan has gained even higher rates. The country has not only strengthened its infrastructure and expanded digital public services, but has also created the basis for the development of breakthrough solutions based on artificial intelligence, consolidating its image as a regional technology leader.

– Speaking about promising projects in the field of AI technologies, the president noted the creation of the first version of the large language model of the Kazakh language KazLLM. Tell us more about the opportunities that open up with ChatGPT for government agencies, businesses, and citizens.

– A particularly noticeable acceleration in the field of artificial intelligence worldwide began after the high-profile appearance of ChatGPT. This model demonstrated how advanced systems can be that can understand and generate coherent text at a level close to human. Thanks to ChatGPT, many companies, government agencies, and educational institutions have taken a fresh look at the potential of AI technologies.

The main catalyst was the explosive growth of mass interest in machine learning-based dialog systems. ChatGPT has not only shown a wide range of opportunities in various fields, from helping with programming to creating articles and analyzing large amounts of data, but has also helped large IT companies and startups to invest even more actively in research and development.

The emergence of ChatGPT has given a tangible impetus to Kazakhstan's AI initiatives. Many domestic companies have begun to use and test similar language models to automate customer service, document analysis, text translation, and other tasks. This increased the general interest in high technologies among businesses and citizens, and also stimulated educational institutions to improve machine learning programs in order to train specialists capable of working with the most advanced AI tools.

As a result, ChatGPT has become one of the clearest demonstrations that artificial intelligence can not only perform highly specialized functions, but also interact with people on a new, more "human" level. This breakthrough has caused a domino effect: developers all over the world are rushing to present their own solutions, and users are enthusiastically mastering them. All this has accelerated the global race in the field of artificial intelligence, in which Kazakhstani companies are also participating, realizing that mass adoption of AI solutions is the way to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Our company Byte Machine, which is a member of Astana Hub, is also developing its own LLM-based solution. Our company researches and develops various generative AI models, such as vision language models, multimodal large language models, which will contribute to the digital development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A multimodal generative AI model capable of processing the Kazakh language is being developed. Russian Russian and English languages, their mixed versions (for example, Kazakh-Russian), as well as their dialects, are currently being created in a multilingual language model. This model accepts images and text as input, and then generates its own. Next, it is planned to add the ability to use audio input so that the model can work not only with visual and textual data, but also with audio signals.

– The President noted in his interview that according to the UN rating, Kazakhstan ranked 24th in the world in terms of e-government development. What can you say about the pace and benefits of digitalization of public services in Kazakhstan?

– Taking 24th place in the UN world ranking for the development of e-government is a significant result, confirming the rapid pace of digitalization established by Kazakhstan in recent years. First of all, this indicates that the country pays serious attention to the development of IT infrastructure and increasing the availability of public services for the population.

As for the advantages, firstly, digitalization significantly simplifies and speeds up the procedure for obtaining documents and certificates: today, many of them can be issued online without wasting time on visits to government agencies. Secondly, electronic services increase transparency and reduce the risk of corruption, as direct interaction between officials and citizens decreases. Thirdly, the emergence of convenient digital tools is beneficial for businesses: from company registration to participation in public procurement, everything is faster and more efficient.

Another advantage is the growth of digital literacy among the population. More and more people are learning how to use online services safely and understand the opportunities offered by e-government. As a result, trust in government platforms increases, and this, in turn, stimulates the further development of eGov solutions.

Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead to improve infrastructure, integrate new technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, and educate the public. But today we can say that Kazakhstan is moving in the right direction: improving the standard of living of citizens, improving the investment climate and reducing bureaucratic barriers – all this is made possible by the digitalization of public services.

– As you know, earlier Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the government the task of increasing the export of IT services to one billion dollars by 2026. In an interview, he noted that the export rate of IT services is growing, and Kazakhstan is becoming more attractive to global digital nomads. What has been done in Kazakhstan for this?

– Achieving the goal of one billion dollars in exports of IT services by 2026 requires a systematic approach from the government and business, and Kazakhstan has already implemented a number of measures to accelerate this process. First, the government is actively investing in the development of IT infrastructure, including high-speed Internet and modern data centers. This enables IT companies and independent specialists to work with any markets and clients around the world.

Secondly, there is a specialized ecosystem for startups and technology companies. The key element here is AstanaHub, which provides preferential taxation, access to mentors and venture financing. Due to this, more and more international startups consider Kazakhstan as a promising location for launching and scaling projects.

Thirdly, the government is developing measures to attract and retain highly qualified personnel: visa procedures are being simplified, coworking spaces and various support programs for digital nomads are being created. Many of them come to Kazakhstan seeing a combination of affordable infrastructure, a growing market, and flexible working conditions in the IT sector.

Fourth, Kazakhstan is actively integrating into global technology chains. Local companies participate in international accelerators, receive contracts with foreign partners, and create their own IT products for the global market. This contributes to the growth of recognition of the Kazakh IT sector abroad and, consequently, to an increase in the export of services.

Together, all these efforts help to attract talented IT specialists to the country, as well as strengthen its position in the international market. The growth in exports of IT services is the result of systematic work and confirmation that Kazakhstan is moving in the right direction, striving to become a powerful technology hub in the region.

– In the interview, the head of state stressed the importance of educating young citizens on the use of artificial intelligence technology in schools, colleges and universities. Why is this important and how is this task implemented?

– In the context of global digitalization and the spread of new technologies, teaching young people the basics of artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most important tasks for any country. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev rightly emphasizes the need to integrate AI technologies into the educational environment from schools and colleges to universities.

Why is this important? First, artificial intelligence is now being used in a wide variety of fields, from medicine and agriculture to financial services and logistics. In order for young people to successfully realize themselves in the future, today it is necessary to develop basic skills of working with data, analytical tools and machine learning algorithms. Secondly, early exposure to technology creates a competitive advantage for Kazakhstani specialists in the global labor market. Students with AI skills are in demand not only within the country, but also abroad.

How is this task implemented? Educational programs are being updated, meaning schools, colleges, and universities are beginning to introduce disciplines related to programming, data analysis, and the basics of machine learning into their curricula. Some universities have also established artificial intelligence departments, and offer specialized courses and laboratories where students can engage in real-world projects. Students can also participate in government grant and program-oriented financing projects.

Public and private organizations conduct trainings and courses for teachers and lecturers so that they can effectively transfer modern knowledge to their students and students.

Acceleration programs aimed at developing projects in the field of artificial intelligence are being launched at the Astana Hub and other innovation platforms. This allows young researchers to put their theoretical knowledge into practice by creating their own products and solutions.

The government and private foundations are increasingly allocating grants for AI studies, including studying abroad under the Bolashak program and participating in international competitions. This motivates talented young people to develop and gain valuable experience, which they can then bring to the economy of Kazakhstan.

Thus, a systematic approach to AI technology training not only generates highly qualified personnel, but also contributes to the further technological progress of the country. This is an investment in the future that will ensure Kazakhstan's sustainable development in a rapidly changing digital world.

– Why do you think the head of state attaches great importance to legislative regulation of the sphere of application of artificial intelligence technologies?

– The introduction and dissemination of artificial intelligence (AI) opens up enormous opportunities for business development, education, healthcare and many other areas, but at the same time poses new challenges and questions to society. The Head of State, paying great attention to legislative regulation, proceeds from several key reasons. First, data security and protection is important. Any AI systems, especially on a national scale, process huge amounts of information, including personal data. Kazakhstan has provided a reliable legal framework (Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 21, 2013 N 94-V), which protects citizens from leaks and unfair use of this information.

Secondly, the legislation is designed to regulate the ethical aspects of the use of AI. For example, algorithms can make decisions that affect people's lives and health (medical diagnoses, job selection, financial scoring). Laws should exclude discrimination, bias and other negative consequences arising from incorrect algorithms.

Thirdly, proper regulation helps to create favorable conditions for innovation. If the legislative framework clearly defines the rights, duties and responsibilities of market participants, this increases the confidence of business and international partners in the technology. As a result, the inflow of investments is increasing, startups are developing, and new scientific and technological initiatives are emerging.

Thus, a clear legal framework allows us to balance the rapid progress in the field of AI and the need to ensure the safety, ethics and effectiveness of its application in the interests of the whole society.

– Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called his interview a "special appeal to his compatriots." In your opinion, what tone does it set for Kazakhstanis in the new year?  

– When the president calls his interview a “special address to compatriots,” I think he is addressing the entire nation with a kind of policy statement, setting the general tone and mood for the coming period. Judging by the topics he touched upon — the development of digital technologies, stimulating the export of IT services and preparing young people for the challenges of the new age - we can talk about a positive and progressive message.

First, there is optimism: the president highlights the growth of indicators, achievements in the field of e-government and the successful results of public policy in general. Secondly, it is an incentive for action: every Kazakhstani, from schoolchildren to entrepreneurs, is encouraged to participate in the digital transformation of the country and contribute to an innovative breakthrough. And thirdly, there is confidence in the future: it translates the idea that great results can be achieved through joint efforts — to strengthen the economy, improve the quality of life and bring Kazakhstan to new technological heights.

I believe that his “special address” is a combination of confidence, a call for unity and a focus on progress, which should inspire Kazakhstanis and set a working mood for the whole of 2025. In the new year, I would like to wish all Kazakhstanis, as well as the entire world community, even more courage in mastering digital technologies and introducing innovations. May 2025 be a time of new discoveries, when we will be able to bring advanced AI projects to life and truly experience the benefits of digitalization in all areas - from education to large-scale manufacturing.

https://toppress.kz/article/it-iskusstvennii-intellekt-i-cifrovaya-bezopasnost-ekspert-o-tezisah-tokaeva-v-intervyu

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