Bektenov Issues Key Directives on AI Development and Implementation
Kazakhstan accelerates AI adoption with new infrastructure and legal reforms
At a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, officials discussed the integration of artificial intelligence across economic sectors, as reported by our website.
During the session, Bektenov emphasized the need to expand AI computing infrastructure amid growing demand from government agencies and businesses.
"Effective AI adoption hinges on robust infrastructure. Kazakhstan already hosts the region's largest supercomputing clusters—Alem.Cloud and AL Farabium—both ranked in the global TOP-500. We've seen a surge in requests from public and private sectors for supercomputing resources to develop AI solutions. This underscores the need to scale up capacity and adopt a flexible allocation policy. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence must take action to ensure limited resources do not hinder progress," the Prime Minister stressed.
He also highlighted the importance of accelerating efforts to attract investors to the Data Center Valley project and creating legal incentives for the IT sector.
"The Data Center Valley project in Pavlodar Region is currently underway. We must intensify efforts to bring in investors. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence has two weeks to draft legislative amendments regulating and incentivizing cloud service providers in Kazakhstan. Our country must be an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign IT specialists and investors," Bektenov noted.
The Prime Minister underscored the need to address data fragmentation, improve business access to government datasets, and implement unified data standards, urging faster development of a unified data infrastructure.
"For large-scale AI adoption, we must resolve issues of data fragmentation, ensure business access to public datasets, and establish consistent usage standards. I instruct the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence to finalize the methodological framework and focus on building sector-specific data lakes," Bektenov stated.
He also stressed the importance of data quality and digitization levels.
"Full-fledged AI implementation requires high-quality, digitized data. Earlier directives called for improving digitization across all sectors. We must accelerate this work, ensuring regular updates to data lakes—a foundational requirement for developing industry-specific AI models," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Additionally, Bektenov called for greater private-sector engagement in digital projects and a shift in funding priorities to support these initiatives.
"We must not limit ourselves to government-led initiatives in artificial intelligence alone. We need to create economic incentives to actively engage the private sector and its projects. Businesses have the technological flexibility, expertise, and speed to scale solutions effectively. We already see private companies making significant progress in this area. Such examples should be present across all sectors of the economy. That is why pilot projects must be scaled up. Financial institutions should prioritize support for highly digitized projects that leverage artificial intelligence," emphasized Olzhas Bektenov, Kazakhstan's Prime Minister.
He also stressed the need for a systematic approach to AI development and stronger coordination of ongoing initiatives.
"The head of state expects us to adopt systemic solutions so that artificial intelligence moves beyond pilot projects and becomes a real driver of our national economy. We must establish a unified pool of AI projects. This will provide a comprehensive vision, improve coordination, eliminate duplication, and prevent the waste of resources," the Prime Minister stated.
He further highlighted the importance of integrating AI into socioeconomic forecasting systems and instructed the development of a concrete mechanism for its application.
"Modern challenges demand a shift toward more precise tools for socioeconomic planning. Artificial intelligence enables the processing of vast datasets, identifying patterns, and generating more accurate forecasts. This will enhance the effectiveness of government economic policy," Bektenov noted.
Relevant government agencies have been tasked accordingly.
"The Ministry of National Economy, together with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, must introduce a specific mechanism for using AI in economic forecasting," the Prime Minister added.
He also called for expanded access to AI technologies for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and stronger efforts in training and upskilling professionals in this field.
"For most enterprises—especially small and medium-sized businesses—artificial intelligence remains a complex and inaccessible tool. The main barriers are a lack of expertise, resources, and clear implementation mechanisms. Therefore, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, in collaboration with relevant government bodies, must develop approaches to incentivize AI adoption among SMBs. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education should not only train new specialists in this area but also ensure the upskilling of existing professionals across various industries," Olzhas Bektenov said.
The Prime Minister underscored the importance of constitutional guarantees in digital security and tasked the relevant agency with strict oversight of AI technology usage.
For the first time, the new Constitution enshrines citizens' rights to personal data protection. This provides a major impetus for the further development of the sector and reflects the state's strategic priorities. Current legislation already requires the safeguarding of personal data in the operation of artificial intelligence systems. I instruct the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence to ensure proper oversight to prevent unauthorized access by third parties and systems to personal data, as well as to protect intellectual property rights," emphasized the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has also been tasked with expediting the launch of the new Digital Kazakhstan strategy.
"In conclusion, I would like to note that the Digital Kazakhstan strategy is designed to drive the country's deep digital transformation and integrate artificial intelligence across various economic sectors. It is therefore crucial to finalize its approval promptly and ensure high-quality implementation," Bektenov summarized.
Oversight and coordination on these matters have been assigned to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev.
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