Kazakhstan Emerges as Central Asia’s Leader in AI Adoption, Strengthens Cooperation with OpenAI
Astana, The Gulf Observer: Kazakhstan has emerged as one of the leading countries in artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, significantly outperforming its Central Asian neighbors in the use of advanced AI technologies, according to findings presented during a meeting between representatives of OpenAI and Zhaslan Madiyev.
The discussions focused on expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, launching joint educational initiatives, introducing ChatGPT Edu tools, and enhancing practical AI skills among students, educators, and professionals across Kazakhstan.
According to OpenAI’s analysis, Kazakhstan ranks among countries with a high level of AI adoption and demonstrates considerably stronger per-capita usage of the consumer version of ChatGPT than other nations in the region. The findings indicate that the country’s population is well positioned to integrate advanced AI technologies into everyday life.
Deputy Prime Minister Madiyev noted that citizens are increasingly using AI for education, workplace tasks, information retrieval, and content creation, creating favorable conditions for broader implementation of AI across education, business, and public administration.
OpenAI’s Head of International Education, Valerie Focke, said Kazakhstan is already among the countries actively embracing AI technologies. She highlighted the country’s high level of ChatGPT usage, strong engagement among younger generations, and a relatively balanced distribution of AI use between men and women.
Focke emphasized that the next phase should focus on ensuring users derive greater practical value from AI through targeted educational programs, teacher training initiatives, local implementation projects, and continuous evaluation of outcomes.
Data presented by OpenAI shows that Kazakhstanis most frequently use AI tools for practical guidance, writing and editing tasks, and information searches. More than 42 percent of interactions involve information-seeking queries, while approximately 32 percent are task-oriented requests and 26 percent relate to self-expression.
Young people are driving AI adoption in the country. Users aged 18 to 24 account for 36.2 percent of all messages, while those aged 25 to 34 generate 35.8 percent. Combined, individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 are responsible for nearly 72 percent of all requests. Younger users tend to utilize AI for text and multimedia creation, whereas users in the 25-to-34 age group more frequently seek technical assistance.
The analysis also found that AI usage in Kazakhstan is almost evenly distributed between users with names traditionally associated with men and women, reflecting broad-based engagement with the technology across different demographic groups.
The findings underscore Kazakhstan’s growing role as a regional leader in artificial intelligence adoption and its ambitions to integrate AI more deeply into education, economic development, and public services.
