The flagship educational program "AI Leaders 2026" has been launched in Kazakhstan. Top managers from more than 150 organizations across the country will be trained. As a result, each company will develop its own AI strategy. Subsequently, AI will be integrated into all key sectors of the economy. This is, notably, one of the president's main directives.
Stanford University's Artificial Intelligence Research
Center, the educational platform of ChatGPT's developer, and an international
hub in Silicon Valley: participants gain knowledge firsthand — from those who
are shaping the industry today and defining its future. The academic director
of the program is Peter Norvig — a professor at Stanford University, author of
the world's leading bestseller on AI, and an active member of the expert
council on AI development under the President of Kazakhstan. Under his
guidance, the curriculum was maximally adapted to the specifics of our region.
Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of
Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan:
— We are opening up access to world-class knowledge
for the leaders of the largest companies and the entire region. And directly
from those who stood at the origins of AI and today determine the trajectory of
its development. For us, this is a practical step to make AI truly work in the
economy. It is no coincidence that we involved the flagships of business and
the public sector in the training — companies from telecommunications,
construction, fintech, industry, and other sectors that form the country's
economy.
Participants study the basic principles of AI, their
impact on business processes and management. They then move on to working with
AI tools and applying AI to real tasks. In the final stage, teams learn to
develop and apply AI systems in business and key industries. In other words,
companies and institutions are not simply testing individual tools — they must
systematically implement AI to increase productivity, accelerate
decision-making, and enhance competitiveness. When major players set the
standard, the entire market — including small and medium-sized businesses — begins
to follow, the relevant ministry notes.
Baliya Kenzhebolатova, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and
Digital Development of Kazakhstan:
— The task now for each company during 8 weeks of
training is to see how AI can replace, adapt, or improve certain processes
within the company. Yesterday, for example, we analyzed the work of an
accountant — how an accountant can adapt AI. AI can very quickly generate
tables, double-check figures — things a person might mechanically overlook. But
meaning is always set only by a human.
The initiative is a key element of a comprehensive
personnel training system: as a reminder, approximately 1 million citizens of
the country already completed basic digital literacy training last year.
Systematic work is being carried out at all levels — from youth centers to
specialized projects for civil servants.
Baliya Kenzhebolатova, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and
Digital Development of Kazakhstan:
— This is the tool that will allow every country —
first a company, then a country — to increase both its productivity and its
profits. Accordingly, this should have a major impact on the country's GDP. It
is not the strongest who survives, but the one who knows how to adapt to
current realities. In essence, today the implementation of new AI technologies
is about those changes in the world that one needs to adapt to, restructure
around, and implement into one's life — and most importantly, to use not for the
sake of using, but to genuinely increase one's own effectiveness.
Upon completion of the program, participants will
develop an applied AI strategy for their organizations. Thus, the digital
transformation of each company becomes the foundation for the technological
leadership and success of the entire country.