TechnoWomen Forum in Astana fuels discussions on AI in Kazakhstan
The three-day international TechnoWomen Central Asia: AI Future forum kicked off on April 17 in Astana. The event brought together leading experts on artificial intelligence (AI) from business, government and the academic community. The main goal of the forum is to discuss the practical application of AI to improve the efficiency of business and government, as well as the development of new trends and opportunities for startups and projects, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Round table titled AI: Positive Opportunities and Potential Risks marked the opening of the forum on its first day. Among the invited experts are Sharmista Appaya, Global Business Line Lead for Digital Data Infrastructure at the World Bank Group, Zhannat Dubirova, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan; and Madina Abdrakhmanova, data scientist at Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence in Nazarbayev University.
Ekaterina Smyshlyaeva, deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, noted the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in various spheres of life. Discussing the prospects for the development of AI technologies, she emphasized that if today there are mainly specialists in the field of IT and digitalization, then tomorrow representatives of all sectors of the economy will be present at such events.
“Today, there are mainly specialists in the field of IT and digitization here, but tomorrow representatives from all sectors of the economy will be present at such events. Because one way or another, this technology will affect every organization, every business process. And even that whoever denies this or wants to admit it will probably be forced to discuss this topic," she stated.
The member of the Parliament also noted that issues of regulation of AI are currently being actively discussed with the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry and other interested bodies.
In an interview with Kazinform, Miraim Atanaeva, chief senior director of the Digital Government Support Center, stressed the importance of investing in AI for the future of Kazakhstan. She emphasized that countries that will be leaders in the development of AI technologies will dictate conditions in the global market.
“Not only for Kazakhstan, for the whole world, whoever goes further in the development of AI technologies will tomorrow dictate the terms on the international market in general,” Atanaeva said. She also expressed concerns about the competitiveness of the Kazakh language in the field of AI. The development of the Kazakh language in this area is necessary for the country to keep up and maintain its human potential at a high level.
Atanaeva also drew attention to the importance of preserving cultural identity through the development of the Kazakh language in AI technologies. She expressed fears that without adequate development of the Kazakh language, Kazakhstan may lose its cultural heritage.
“We can lose our self-identity, our cultural layer, because we do not provide the Kazakh-speaking environment with the opportunity to work with high-tech tools,” she emphasized.
According to Atanaeva, experts, assessing current trends, predict that in the future up to 60-70% of various services will be provided based on AI. Routine tasks that were previously performed by humans will be fully automated, which makes the development of competencies in the field of AI important for Kazakhstan.
The TechnoWomen forum will be held in Astana until April 19. Organizers of the event have prepared panel discussion with the experts and legislators, as well as workshops for the participants.
