President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially opened the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in Astana on Monday, highlighting Kazakhstan's ambition to become a global digital leader while stressing that artificial intelligence must always serve humanity, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
Addressing participants, the President said rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data are reshaping economies, education, science and public administration.
"Therefore, Kazakhstan has made a strategic choice in favor of digital development. Our country possesses all the necessary conditions to join the top of the world's leading digital nations. Kazakhstan currently ranks 24th among 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Development Index."
Tokayev said Kazakhstan is creating an integrated innovation ecosystem where AI will help improve public administration, modernize the economy and support businesses. He recalled that his previous State of the Nation Address set the goal of transforming Kazakhstan into a fully digital state within three years.
"To this end, we designated 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. The country's long-term development agenda, based on innovation, is also reflected in the new Constitution of Kazakhstan, which entered into force on July 1 this year. But it's only the beginning of the whole process."
The President also praised the achievements of Kazakhstan's students, noting that they won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals at last year's IOAI in Beijing.
"This is an achievement of which our country is rightly proud. It once again demonstrates the enormous intellectual and creative potential of our younger generation."
Expressing gratitude to teachers and mentors, Tokayev said participants' ideas could one day become breakthrough solutions in medicine, education and environmental protection.
He also emphasized the importance of ensuring AI develops responsibly.
"The enormous potential of neural networks is always accompanied by serious risks. Cybersecurity threats, the spread of false information and violations of human rights, particularly the rights and interests of children, require greater responsibility and commonly accepted rules. Kazakhstan firmly insists on safety and fairness of development of artificial intelligence. Technological progress must always serve the well-being of people. Otherwise, it will definitely lose its true purpose."
Addressing the contestants, Tokayev said the Olympiad was about more than medals.
"The real value of this Olympiad lies not only in winning medals. Above all, it's an opportunity to learn from one another, exchange ideas, build new friendships, and jointly search for answers to the challenges of the future."
He encouraged young people to continue learning throughout their lives.
"To learn the best knowledge and practices from other people and even companies is not a disgrace, because to learn is never late. The disgrace is not to learn."
Concluding his speech, Tokayev urged participants to remain optimistic while staying prepared for future challenges before officially declaring the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence open.
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.