President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was introduced to an autonomous robot and briefed on the structure and competition tasks of the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) during the event's opening ceremony in Astana, Qazinform News Agency reports via Akorda.
Running from August 2 to 8 in Astana, the Olympiad has attracted more than 500 talented school students from 106 countries, who are competing in AI model development and autonomous robot programming.
Earlier today, Tokayev attended the opening ceremony of IOAI 2026 and officially declared the competition open.
In his opening remarks, the Head of State said Kazakhstan has made a strategic choice in favor of digital development, noting that the world has entered an era shaped by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and other cutting-edge technologies.
He said these innovations are transforming economies, education, science, public administration, and everyday life.
The President also stressed that Kazakhstan places special emphasis on quality education and comprehensive support for gifted students.
"Last year, Kazakh school students won three gold, one silver, and three bronze medals at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Beijing. This is an achievement our country can truly be proud of, and it once again demonstrates the tremendous intellectual and creative potential of our young people. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the teachers and mentors who nurture our talented youth," Tokayev said.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the 2026 IOAI in Astana is expected to serve not only as a major platform for school-level competition but also as a catalyst for technological development and the training of future entrepreneurs, according to Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Board of JSC Kazakhtelecom.