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What Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at Digital Bridge about artificial intelligence

Фото: Akorda

Фото: Akorda 12.10.2023 12:15 1315

The Digital Bridge International Forum is one of the largest IT events in Kazakhstan, which is held annually with the participation of the Head of State. Traditionally, the Forum is attended by leaders of the international IT community, Kazakhstani and foreign experts in the field of technology, professionals in the field of digital development, IT companies and startups, venture investors, technology entrepreneurs, representatives of government agencies and the media.

The key topic of this year's forum is artificial intelligence. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a welcoming speech to the participants of the forum, El.kz reports with reference to Akorda.

What the Head of State said:

Over the past five years, the forum has become the largest platform in Central Asia for discussing the latest trends and prospects for the development of the IT industry.

This year, Digital Bridge brought together over 20 thousand participants, representatives of more than 300 IT companies, and delegations from 30 countries.

Traditionally, the high interest in the event confirms Kazakhstan's strong position as a leading digital and fintech hub in the Eurasian space.

The topic of today's forum is extremely relevant. Artificial intelligence is no longer science fiction, but a reality.

A new era is unfolding before our eyes. Artificial intelligence technology is as revolutionary as electricity and the Internet were back in the day.

It can radically change the way of life of a person, automate many work processes and create significant economic value.

According to experts, the potential contribution of artificial intelligence to the global economy is comparable to a quarter of global GDP.

The widespread use of this technology can become the most important factor in the progressive development of Kazakhstan. To do this, it is necessary to create all the conditions for the development of artificial intelligence as soon as possible.

FIRST. It is necessary to adopt a strategic document that defines the scope, tasks and tools for the development of AI.

This is an international best practice, and such a step will allow us to set a sustainable vector for the country's technological progress.

I believe that, first of all, we should focus on the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in such important sectors for our economy as the oil and gas sector, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics.

Artificial intelligence can significantly optimize the process of transforming our cities into full-fledged smart cities that are favorable for living and working.

The widespread use of artificial intelligence in the provision of public services is also of great importance. We have already achieved serious results here.

In particular, the Digital Family Card was launched, which makes it possible to determine the level of social well-being of citizens and proactively provide them with state support.

A similar product should be introduced for businesses based on Baiterek Holding, which has already launched a large-scale digital transformation on my behalf.

SECOND. It is necessary to ensure the regulatory regulation of artificial intelligence.

To date, more than 120 countries have already adopted various pieces of legislation to address this challenge. We need to speed up the development of a modern legal regulatory framework that will meet the best international practices and take into account both the needs of the market and the interests of citizens.

It is necessary for the legal environment to stimulate the entry of international companies into our market. To do this, it is necessary to maintain a balance of interests and form open and fair "rules of the game".

In general, it is not an easy task to integrate artificial intelligence tools into people's daily lives without violating their rights and freedoms.

I hope that the forum participants will be able to contribute to the development of basic documents regulating this area, including the draft Digital Code.

THIRD. It is important to consistently strengthen the digital infrastructure.

Advanced IT infrastructure is the foundation for the future progress of the digital industry and, in particular, artificial intelligence. Therefore, its development should be ahead of the needs of IT developers.

First of all, we need to increase our computing power. I instruct the Government to ensure the construction of data centres specialising in artificial intelligence within two years.

For this, global players such as Amazon, Google, Mastercard and Citigroup can be involved. During a recent trip to New York, I met with the management of these companies, and agreements were reached. It is also important to develop a data ecosystem for artificial intelligence. Big data is, in fact, the "fuel" for artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan has already implemented various solutions in this area.

However, their potential has not been fully realized due to the lack of access to the data sets available to government agencies.

It is necessary to proceed from the "presumption of openness" of information. It is necessary to provide free access to anonymized data through Smart Data Ukimet. I emphasize that all information must be anonymized and reliably protected.

It is necessary to eliminate any risks of personal data leakage. In addition, the National Artificial Intelligence Platform will be launched next year. It should unite the data of the state and big business, ensure their relevance and accessibility.

All these measures will allow our startups using elements of artificial intelligence to create completely new IT solutions that are in demand in Kazakhstan and the world.

It is necessary to carry out a serious reform of the Office for National Statistics, to turn it into a real digital agency. There is a need for comprehensive measures to organize statistical and other data, including the development of management policies and the definition of a target data architecture.

This will be the basic condition for effective decision-making by the state. Another powerful impetus for the development of innovation will be the full-scale deployment of the 5G network.

Earlier, the task was set to cover all regional centers with new generation cellular communications by 2027. However, with the rapid development of technology, we need to accelerate.

The government needs to complete this work ahead of schedule, by the end of 2025. Of course, the shift in deadlines should in no way affect the quality of the services provided.

In addition, it is important to provide access to the Internet to the most remote areas, using the capabilities of low-Earth orbit satellite systems to achieve this goal.

The Government should study this issue comprehensively. If necessary, make changes to the legislation.

FOURTH. We must adapt the education system to the needs of the future labor market.

It is already clear that the further development of automation and artificial intelligence will radically change the global structure of the workforce.

Goldman Sachs predicts the possible disappearance of hundreds of professions and 300 million jobs.

But, as history shows, every technological revolution has been accompanied by similar upheavals. Our task is to prepare in advance for the new realities.

The introduction of artificial intelligence will not lead to the widespread disappearance of jobs for people.

Instead, human labor will transform and require completely different skills. Therefore, new competencies of employees should be formed from the school bench. In this regard, first of all, it is necessary to improve the quality of teaching digital literacy and informatics. To do this, it is necessary to solve the problem of the shortage of qualified teachers.

Astana Hub successfully operates an educational platform through which university students learn to program.

I think the government will work out all the details and launch a similar online platform for schoolchildren in a pilot mode.

It is necessary to significantly update the content and methods of teaching university disciplines. Future teachers, doctors, agronomists, lawyers, and industry specialists must have basic knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence.

In my recent Address, I set the task for at least three well-known universities to engage in training and research in this area.

Another important step will be the transformation of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence at Nazarbayev University into a full-fledged research institute.

It should form an integral ecosystem, becoming a point of attraction for the best specialists and experts. The institute will include an R&D center working in close partnership with global and domestic leaders in the IT industry.

At the same time, it is important that the Institute's developments are commercialized and scaled.

FIFTH. We must develop the venture capital market as a critical driver of innovation and technological progress.

Kazakhstan is consistently improving the institutional and legislative framework to stimulate investment in startups.

We are pleased to see a doubling of the average size of venture capital deals last year.

At the same time, our regulatory framework needs to be aligned with best practices in the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong. It is also important to attract international players to our venture capital market.

The use of artificial intelligence opens up new horizons of opportunities for inclusive and sustainable development. Global competition in this area is gaining momentum.

Kazakhstan should not stand aside from these trends. This is a requirement of the time.

Therefore, we are now paying special attention to the development of advanced technologies.

For the progressive development of the industry, it is necessary to combine the efforts of domestic IT specialists, experts, scientists, as well as to use the potential of international partners.

In addition, there is another important issue to pay attention to. In the coming decades, we're likely to get closer to the point where a machine surpasses human intelligence.

In other words, there could be a danger to humanity from artificial intelligence. There is no consensus in scientific circles as to whether this will lead to the prosperity of humanity or the threat of its destruction. Therefore, reasonable control over artificial intelligence is especially important.

For example, in the past, along with nuclear energy, atomic weapons were also created. This has led to the need to build a new paradigm of global security. This means striking a balance between technological progress and collective security.

Now we are carrying out a deep modernization of the political system.

We have begun to build an economy based on knowledge and new technologies. In A Just Kazakhstan, every citizen will have opportunities for full self-realization. We also focus on improving the well-being of the people.

We aim to create the most comfortable environment for the arrival and work of digital nomads, i.e. strong IT specialists in Kazakhstan.

We develop innovative entrepreneurship and the creative industry. I believe that the global technological revolution can and should contribute to the progress of all states in order to create a more balanced and just world.