Kazakh President Tokayev outlines the country’s AI agenda for governance, education and business
At the International Digital Bridge Forum 2025 in Astana, held in October, Kazakhstan showcased its ambitions to become a regional and global leader in artificial intelligence and digital transformation. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the country’s efforts to build an advanced economy based on knowledge and artificial intelligence and enhance international cooperation. He outlined concrete measures for digital governance, education and business to reach this ambitious goal in just three years. Initial steps are already underway.
The International Digital Bridge Forum 2025 was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 2 to 4. It brought together government leaders, technology companies, startups, investors and business angels to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation and new opportunities for innovation. The general partner of the event was Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, part of Freedom Holding Corp., a Nasdaq-listed financial and technology group headquartered in Kazakhstan.
The productive nation
This year’s forum theme, “Generative Nation,” highlights Kazakhstan’s focus on developing a knowledge-based society supported by advanced technologies, especially artificial intelligence. “The world has entered the era of artificial intelligence. We are all witnessing how this revolutionary technology is radically changing politics, economics and the daily lives of billions of people. Our mission is to direct these new technologies to the benefit of humanity as the main engines of progress and cooperation.” This was stated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his speech at the forum.
Based on President Tokayev’s vision, the business community supports this challenge. “In Kazakhstan, we can clearly see how human relations are transforming – from hierarchical and vertical to multifaceted and dynamic relationships. President Tokayev seems to understand this better than anyone else, emphasizing the need to rethink and even reshape some of the ‘settings’ in our society, using the opportunities that progress brings.” Timur TurlovCEO and founder of Al Hurriya Holding Company.
Trillion dollar momentum
The transformation that artificial intelligence is bringing about is incredible. According to recent reports from Gartner and Goldman Sachs, global spending on AI is expected to reach nearly $1.5 trillion in 2025, with expectations to exceed $2 trillion by 2026. Goldman Sachs estimates that widespread adoption of generative AI could contribute about 7% to GDP Global, equivalent to approximately $7 trillion, over ten years.
Kazakhstan aspires to be among the leaders of this transformation. “We have set ourselves a clear goal: Kazakhstan should become a truly digital country within three years,” Tokayev said. The whole work is coordinated by the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence, which was recently created in Kazakhstan by decree of the president. The country’s digital transformation is taking place across several key areas.
Artificial intelligence in education
Education is one of the main sectors where AI is being implemented in Kazakhstan. This topic was on the agenda of the first meeting of the AI Development Council on October 1, 2025. According to Tokayev, the first steps have already been taken.
A historic decision has been made to establish the first research university in the field of artificial intelligence. In addition, the Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence was opened, a global center where artificial intelligence technologies will be researched and implemented.
Complementing these national initiatives, Timur Turlov emphasizes the importance of advanced ideas and digital transformation as tools to accelerate human capital development. As part of its social responsibility activities, Freedom Holding is actively involved in the application of new technologies in education. One of the group’s ongoing projects in this area is its partnership with Kazakh edtech company Bilim Media on a school ecosystem project that includes an electronic diary and an assistant.
International cooperation
President Tokayev stressed the importance of international cooperation in developing digital technologies, and called for establishing partnerships with global technology leaders and organizations. He stated that Kazakhstan actively participates in global dialogues on this topic.
He said: “At the last session of the United Nations General Assembly, I confirmed Kazakhstan’s readiness to contribute to the work of the global dialogue on the governance of artificial intelligence under the auspices of the United Nations.” He added that they also welcome their partners’ initiatives, including China’s proposal to establish a global AI cooperation organization.
In line with the national trend of global partnerships in the digital sector, Freedom Holding will bring SpaceX’s Starlink to the country. Through its subsidiary Astel, it will provide high-speed broadband to businesses, schools and government offices from fall 2025 onwards. “Connecting every village, every school and every business to high-speed Internet is not simply about convenience – it is about giving every citizen equal access to opportunities in the global digital economy,” explained Timur Turlov.
Artificial intelligence in governance
Another strategic focus is to fully transition to a digital form of governance within three years. He explained, “This means a profound transformation in the state’s relationship with citizens and companies. To this end, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development was established.”
The idea is that every new public service should be created in digital form from the beginning. Data provided once should not be requested again. This will greatly enhance the effectiveness of strategic planning, improve the well-being of citizens, and enhance economic growth.
The digitization of government services, along with the digitization of companies, is already achieving practical results. For example, Freedom Bank uses it to offer fully digital mortgages, car loans, and other services. As Timur Turlov previously explained, every stage of the process can be done remotely, from filling out the application to signing the contract. As a result, the mortgage approval process has been reduced from weeks to 24 hours.
Business sharing
According to Tokayev, national companies and local enterprises should actively implement innovative projects. “In the era of advanced technologies, it is very important to be prepared for radical transformations. It is clear that without this progress is impossible,” he said. This is already happening. At the forum, for example, Timur Turlov presented the group’s projects based on artificial intelligence.
One of them – Artificial Intelligence Assistant. “Within a few days, it will become available to tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, and within a few months, it will be integrated into our Freedom SuperApp for all users,” said Timur Turlov. Freedom is building its own digital ecosystem, which has already integrated many financial, technology, lifestyle, and government services that are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. “We have already reached a critical mass of synergies, and the next natural step is to launch a personal AI assistant,” he said.
In practical terms, this means that every one of our SuperApp users – already over 3 million people – will have an integrated digital assistant working for them: recommending the right services at the right time, guiding them through complexity, and understanding products that are often difficult to understand. Timur Turlov explained. For example, these assistants will be able to book flights, suggest trips or concerts, calculate budgets, and even plan weekly grocery shopping based on a customer’s habits. Moreover, all of this will be driven by sound.
center of gravity
For Freedom Holding itself as a business, it creates a “center of gravity”, which makes customers always come back. “When we acquire companies and integrate them into the Freedom ecosystem, we gain a loyal audience that should become our customers. The large number of different services and products that we have implemented on our platform, coupled with effective cross-selling, gives customers a lot of reasons to keep coming back to the ecosystem,” explains Timur Turlov.
The opportunities that the International Digital Bridge Forum 2025 offers to its audience make Kazakhstan a center of gravity at the international level. The Digital Bridge Conference, which was first held in 2018, has become the leading technology discussion platform in Central Asia, welcoming more than 67,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Commenting on the impact of the Forum, Timur Turlov noted: “The Digital Bridge is proof that attractiveness has already been created in Kazakhstan – thanks to openness, youthful spirit and readiness for rapid digital transformation. I am sure that we have a real chance to claim a leading role in the global architecture of AI-based leadership.”
