ALMATY – As more than 500 high school students from 106 countries gathered in Astana for the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used the event to showcase Kazakhstan’s broader ambition to become one of Eurasia’s leading AI economies.
But while hosting global competitions highlights the country’s growing digital profile, experts say long-term success will depend less on attracting talent than on creating an ecosystem capable of retaining it, commercializing research and translating education into innovation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Olympiad, which runs from Aug. 2 to 8, Tokayev described artificial intelligence as one of the central pillars of Kazakhstan’s long-term development strategy. Photo credit: Akorda. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Olympiad, which runs from Aug.
2 to 8, Tokayev described artificial intelligence as one of the central pillars of Kazakhstan’s long-term development strategy. President Tokayev also said that Kazakhstan has made a “strategic choice” in favor of digital transformation, pointing to the country’s ranking of 24th in the United Nations E-Government Development Index and its position as Central Asia’s leader in technological readiness.
“We are creating a unified innovative ecosystem in which artificial intelligence serves as an important tool for managing the state, economy, and business, permeating all areas of public life,” Tokayev said. AI is indeed becoming an essential tool for government, business and public services as Kazakhstan works toward becoming a fully digital state within three years.
The designation of 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and the inclusion of innovation in the country’s new Constitution are intended to accelerate that transition. The IOAI, however, reflects a broader objective than technological modernization alone.
As one of the newest international science olympiads, established in 2024, the competition seeks not only to identify talented students but also to create an international community of future AI researchers while encouraging discussion about the opportunities and ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Kazakhstan was among the founding members of the Olympiad and became the first Central Asian country to host the event. The country’s AI strategy increasingly spans the entire talent pipeline from schools to research infrastructure and commercial applications. Last year, Kazakhstan’s team won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the Olympiad in Beijing, a result Tokayev said demonstrated the country’s growing pool of young scientific talent.
Kazakhstan’s Competitive Programming Federation President Bagdat Mussin argued that such achievements should complement rather than replace higher education. “Computer science, programming and artificial intelligence are becoming essential skills for anyone planning to build a career.
But deep expertise in physics, chemistry, biology and other disciplines remains equally important,” Mussin told the Kazinform news agency on the sidelines of the Olympiad. His comments reflect a growing recognition that AI education increasingly extends beyond computer science itself, becoming a tool across multiple industries.