ASTANA – Kazakhstan and South Korea presented their progress on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the public sector at a diplomatic seminar in Astana on April 21, as part of a broader effort to ensure AI delivers tangible public benefits.
Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan Dmitriy Mun presented Kazakhstan’s progress in AI implementation in public sector. Photo credit: Aida Dosbergenova/The Astana Times
Ambassador of Korea to Kazakhstan Tae-ick Cho said that Korea is promoting AI as a key factor in national competitiveness, fostering ethical and inclusive AI ecosystems through various policy initiatives.
“As a leading producer of both AI software and hardware, Korea is well-placed to assume key roles and responsibilities in making the emerging global AI governance framework,” said Cho.
According to him, Korea is at the forefront of shaping AI-related international rules and regulations, in line with fundamental and universal values.
The ambassador also acknowledged Kazakhstan’s achievements in becoming a digital hub of Central Asia, including the establishment of the Alem.ai center in Astana, which will serve as a key platform for developing and promoting AI initiatives.
“By working together, our two nations can not only cooperate in advancing AI technologies and related policies but also foster mutual growth in our economies and societies,” said Cho.
Dmitry Mun, deputy minister of the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, shared Kazakhstan’s achievements and plans to integrate AI into the public sector.
“Kazakhstan has more than 20 years of experience in developing e-government. A single national operator was appointed two decades ago to ensure centralized development and coordination of gov-tech solutions,” he said.
All gov-tech architecture has been built entirely in-house.
“The architecture reflects gradual and strategic evolution from foundational infrastructure to advanced AI-driven services. At the base of the architecture are over 400 state databases, and after that, we move to proactive service delivery by identifying live situations, consolidating data in the national data lake and launching tools like the digital family card,” he explained.
At the top of this architecture is the AI platform, “which now enables developers to build and deploy artificial intelligence solutions on top of the national digital infrastructure.”
He also outlined that Kazakhstan’s AI solutions have been exported to Togo and Tajikistan, demonstrating the country’s readiness for innovation and cooperation in the tech sector.
The deputy minister said that the ministry aims to ensure that integrating AI delivers tangible public benefits, rather than merely adopting it superficially.
“Before launching AI projects, we conducted a comprehensive analysis. We identified the most in-demand processes within government agencies, estimated how many citizens and public servants gave back, and reviewed global best practices in applying AI to similar tasks,” he said.
As of today, the ministry has initiated 50 projects involving 16 government bodies and reaching over eight million citizens. The implementation period is set for 2025-2026.
