TLDR: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan has announced his country’s support for China’s proposal to establish a global organization for artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation. This move is aimed at fostering technological collaboration for sustainable global economic growth and addressing the digital divide. Concurrently, Tokayev stressed the urgent need for Kazakhstan to develop its own AI regulatory framework and leverage AI as a key driver for national development, including the adoption of a new AI law and the transition to a unified digital platform.
Astana, Kazakhstan – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan has officially expressed his country’s backing for China’s ambitious initiative to create a global organization dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation. The announcement came during a significant meeting on AI development held on August 11, 2025, with key government officials, including Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Head of the President’s Executive Office Aibek Dadebay.
China’s proposal for a global AI cooperation body is designed to promote a multilateral approach to AI governance, bridge the global digital gap, and foster the ethical and sustainable application of AI technologies. While the headquarters are tentatively considered for Shanghai, President Tokayev emphasized Kazakhstan’s strategic interest in joining the preparatory activities for this organization. ‘I believe that China’s initiative to create such organization should be supported and that we should join the preparatory activities. This is in the interests of our country,’ President Tokayev stated, underscoring the importance of international collaboration in this rapidly evolving field.
Beyond international cooperation, President Tokayev highlighted the critical need for Kazakhstan to accelerate its own AI development. He declared the adoption of a comprehensive law on artificial intelligence as a high-priority task for the nation. This new legislation is expected to balance innovation with crucial aspects of responsibility and security, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and interests without hindering AI’s growth. Kazakhstan aims to draw upon advanced international experiences, including those of the European Union, the United States, China, and Canada, in shaping its unique regulatory-legal framework for AI.
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Furthermore, the President outlined a vision for Kazakhstan to transform into a ‘digital state’ within the next five years. As part of this ambitious goal, the government has been tasked with developing equitable rules for the distribution of supercomputer capacities, prioritizing promising startups and national projects. A significant step in this direction is the transfer of the entire digital ecosystem, encompassing both state and quasi-state sectors, to a single sovereign platform named QazTech. To scale up this platform, a moratorium on the creation of new information systems beyond QazTech will be imposed starting January 2026, with a commission on digitalization overseeing specific cases. The government is mandated to complete all procedures related to ensuring full information security on the QazTech platform by the first quarter of 2026. These measures collectively aim to make AI a powerful driver of national development for Kazakhstan.
