Tokayev is committed to making Kazakhstan “fully digital within the next three years,” but what exactly does that mean, and are the government and people of Kazakhstan ready?
Artificial Intelligence is en vogue in Kazakhstan. This year, 2026, has been named the Year of Development of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in the Central Asian nation. Moreover, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev repeated what he had said in a recent interview with the newspaper Turkistan that he plans to turn Kazakhstan into a digital country within three years. The implications of these ambitions, while perhaps admirable, are vaguely stated; therefore, further analysis is required to evaluate the extent to which artificial intelligence and technological advances are critical to Astana’s policymaking, as well as the factors that either aid or obstruct these objectives.
Leveling Up
Adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in the country is a goal the Kazakhstani leader has repeatedly mentioned. In 2025, he explained that his administration’s goal is to turn Kazakhstan into a “fully digital nation within three years,” arguing that the country “must be prepared” as “the rapid development of artificial intelligence is already influencing the worldview and behaviour of people, especially the youth.”
In the more recent interview with Turkistan, the president elaborated his vision, explaining that Kazakhstan “should become a digital power,” because “it is a matter of our common survival as a civilized country in a new technological era.”
Tokayev mentioned some concrete successes, including the development of a CryptoCity pilot zone “for digital assets,” and the construction of Alatau City, a project to develop an information and technology center south of Almaty. The head of state also noted developments from the bureaucratic side in the past year: the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence commenced operations in May; in November, a law on artificial intelligence was signed; and a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development was established.
The technical side has experienced positive developments, too. Astana has acquired two supercomputers: Alem.Cloud and Al-Farabium. Moreover, Tokayev highlighted ongoing education projects to train young Kazakhstanis; “more than 650 thousand students were trained under the AI-Sana program,” and a “specialized research AI university will be opened soon,” he stated.
In the interview with Turkistan, Tokayev noted the benefits of AI for his country, including the contribution of financial technology (fintech) companies to the economy, and highlighted “successes in the digitalization of public services, fintech, and a number of sectors of the economy.” Tokayev believes that AI will “open up new opportunities for the development of the economy” and improve public administration, education, medicine, and even public transportation safety.
Managing (and Balancing) Aspirations
Quantifying and measuring a country’s level of digitalization is a tricky endeavor. The Swiss International Institute for Management Development (IMD) issues an annual ranking of the most digitized nations, which serves as a starting point to initiate discussions on this topic. According to the 2025 metrics, the top five most digitized nations are currently Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Denmark, in that order. Kazakhstan is number 39, between Thailand (38) and above Italy (40), Slovenia (41), and Kuwait (42). Meanwhile, according to the Smart City Expo World Congress, the top 25 countries with the best e-government services include the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, and Denmark (in that order), with Kazakhstan not making the list.
In other words, “fully digitizing” Kazakhstan by the end of the decade would require a massive technological leap forward by Kazakhstan to match the most developed nations of the world. This is not an easy (or cheap) task.
Kazakhstan is certainly the most developed country within Central Asia, and, according to a 2024 World Bank report on poverty in the country, the reduction in poverty over the past 15 years is “remarkable,” as “about 5.9 million people were lifted out of poverty between 2006 and 2021.” The current poverty rate is around 8.5 percent out of a country of around 20 million people. While the country has a strong middle class, its growth has “stagnated,” the Bank concludes, which could jeopardize future growth and innovation.
Size is also a factor. Kazakhstan is one of the largest countries in the world, with a few population centers but a very vast territory. For Kazakhstan to become “fully digital” and adopt artificial intelligence and other new technologies, Astana must ensure that these services not only benefit the largest population areas — Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktobe, and Karaganda — but also small towns across West Kazakhstan, Atyrau, and Kyzylorda regions. This goal would require strengthening and expanding the electricity grid, vastly expanding Wi-Fi services, and providing massive training for civil servants and employees across many industries. While training young Kazakhstanis is underway, older generations will also need to be educated in the use of digital technologies to best achieve this commendable goal.
How digital can Kazakhstan become within three years? There is no single metric that provides the complete answer. In Japan, companies have opened experimental convenience stores that are either fully autonomous or staffed by one person to restock. On the other hand, several countries (such as Norway and Kuwait) have achieved nearly 100 percent internet access among the population — for comparison’s sake, Kazakhstan’s internet connectivity is estimated at around 93 percent of the population. “Fully digital” could also imply becoming one of the top 25 countries with the best e-government services. Tokayev will have to keep these factors in mind when determining the feasibility of “full digitization” in such a short time frame.
Long-Term Implications of E-goals
While Kazakhstan will continue to depend on its energy and mining industries as the pillars of its economy for the foreseeable future, strengthening the IT sector is also a wise and logical goal. Adopting AI and machine learning into everyday life, expanding internet coverage, and improving e-government services are all commendable goals. Creating technological hubs can be highly financially rewarding and will provide employment for future generations of Kazakhs.
However, Kazakhstan’s Year of Development of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence will need to accomplish significant milestones on several fronts — educational, bureaucratic and legal, and technological — to fulfill Tokayev’s ambitious goal of “fully” digitalizing his nation by the end of the decade. Ultimately, even if the “full” digitization goal is not achieved, it is important for the Kazakhstani population to become more knowledgeable of new technologies, for e-government services to improve the lives of the population, and for AI and machine learning to help Kazakhstani industries and businesses grow and strengthen the country’s role on the world stage.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Wilder Alejandro Sánchez
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: The Diplomat, 14.01.2026
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