On February 7, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the expanded government meeting in Astana and announced that Kazakhstan should launch the Digital Nomad Residency program to attract leading artificial intelligence specialists from abroad, QazMonitor reports citing Akorda.
During his speech, the President highlighted the nation’s achievements in fintech over four years. In 2023, the share of non-cash payments amounted to 88%, while in 2020, this indicator did not exceed 50%. According to Tokayev, this should become an example for other sectors of the national economy and a cue for further digital development.
“Each ministry should have a digital Industry Transformation Map (based on Singapore's ITM’s). These roadmaps should provide a comprehensive vision of what technologies will be industrially implemented in the areas under their supervision in the next five years,” said Tokayev.
Furthermore, the President highlighted the importance of AI development. Experts estimate that by 2026, over 80% of enterprises worldwide will implement AI; currently, less than 5% of enterprises utilize AI-powered tools in their workflow. To ensure Kazakhstan benefits from these advancements, the President emphasized the need to establish an appropriate institutional environment.
Currently, the government has 87 state databases for AI training; however, the President pointed out that this dataset is no longer sufficient to create advanced AI models. He suggested aggregating anonymized data from both public and commercial sectors and implementing a unified architecture for data management systems. To meet new standards, "We are embarking on creating a high-performance supercomputer that will be available not only to scientists but also to various companies operating in our market," announced Tokayev.
Additionally, the Head of State highlighted that public funding for science has increased in recent years. This provides government bodies and research institutes with an opportunity to explore the use of artificial intelligence in the industries they oversee. Moreover, the President instructed authorities to develop advanced educational programs in this area.