ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranked 55th out of 98 countries in the 2026 AI-Human Skills Synergy Index, presented as part of Coursera’s Global Skills Report 2026, reported the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s press service. The new index measures how actively learners develop artificial intelligence skills alongside human competencies needed to apply them effectively, including critical thinking, leadership, communication and complex problem-solving.
According to Coursera’s methodology, the index combines data on skills acquisition, the breadth of competencies studied and the extent to which AI skills are developed alongside human skills. It also incorporates data from the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index, which assesses countries’ capacity to use AI based on factors including government policy, infrastructure, human capital and the development of the AI sector.
Commenting on Kazakhstan’s approach to AI education, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek highlighted the role of the national AI-Sana program. “When Kazakhstan launched the national AI-Sana program, we understood that access to digital courses alone was not enough.
For systemic change, it was important to create conditions in which acquired knowledge is integrated into the educational process and put into practice,” Nurbek said. The minister said the program currently brings together 100 universities to implement courses, monitor results and regularly update content in response to the rapid development of AI technologies.
“At the same time, we pay particular attention to developing the digital and pedagogical competencies of teachers,” he said, adding that more than 1,200 educators have already learned modern online teaching methods and participated in the development of 35 original courses.
According to Nurbek, the approach aims not only to expand access to AI-related knowledge but also to prepare students for changing labor market requirements. Kazakhstan’s result indicates continued interest among active digital learning users in both technical AI competencies and the human skills needed to apply them in practice.
Such skills are becoming increasingly relevant as AI is incorporated into education, professional activities and everyday workplace tasks. At the same time, the AI-Human Skills Synergy Index should be considered in the context of its methodology. Coursera’s data primarily reflects learning activity among platform users and does not directly measure the skill levels of a country’s entire population.
The result therefore provides an international measure of AI and human-skills development among participants in digital learning, while also indicating broader global trends in workforce competency development.