Dr. Huseyin Atakan Varol, Founding Director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence at Nazarbayev University, took part as a featured speaker in the School of Analytics Taldau Mektebi, held at Astana Hub.
During the session dedicated to digital transformation and the development of digital infrastructure, Dr. Varol presented ISSAI’s applied research and AI developments, focusing on sovereign and localized artificial intelligence systems. He highlighted the importance of building national AI models that take into account language, culture, and regulatory context, as well as the challenge of transforming research models into stable, deployable solutions for real world public sector and societal use cases. His presentation demonstrated how ISSAI’s work moves from fundamental research toward practical AI products relevant to government analytics and decision support.
Taldau Mektebi is a national educational and analytical program aimed at strengthening data driven and evidence based decision making in public administration and business. The program is organized with the participation of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with national development institutions and analytical partners. It serves as a platform for dialogue between policymakers, business leaders, researchers, and technology experts on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, analytics, and modern management practices.
The event brought together leading figures from government, business, and the technology sector. Among the speakers were Zhenis Kassymbek, Akim of Astana, who spoke on the development of Astana as a smart and secure city through AI driven urban management; Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom, who addressed the transition toward a data driven state; and Timur Turlov, Founder and Majority Shareholder of Freedom Holding Corp., who discussed management practices in the era of digital ecosystems and artificial intelligence.
An international perspective was provided by Zhen Hai, Senior AI Researcher at Alibaba Cloud, who focused on the concept of sovereign AI and national AI infrastructure. The program concluded with remarks from Dmitry Mun, Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who outlined the country’s approach to building an AI based state.
Dr. Varol’s participation highlighted ISSAI’s role in advancing locally developed AI technologies in Kazakhstan and contributing to the national digital transformation agenda through applied research and collaboration with public institutions.