On 26–27 February 2026, the regional forum “From Young Specialist to Professional Excellence” was held in Atyrau, bringing together around 300 school principals and young educators from across the region.

The forum was organized by Jana Bilim Hub, the Atyrau Regional Department of Education, and the Methodological Center of the Atyrau Regional Department of Education. The two-day program focused on professional growth, digital competencies, and the integration of artificial intelligence into education.

The plenary session featured representatives of leading educational and technology organizations, including specialists from EdTech companies, digital learning platforms, and regional innovation centers, who shared practical case studies on digital transformation in schools, teacher upskilling, and the effective use of emerging technologies to enhance learning outcomes.

Representatives of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) were invited as keynote speakers and delivered two presentations during the plenary session.

Yerbol Absalyamov, Executive Director of ISSAI, presented on “Advancing the Kazakh Language through AI and Opportunities at ISSAI.” He highlighted ISSAI’s work on developing generative AI models for the Kazakh language, strengthening national AI infrastructure, and creating locally developed AI solutions tailored to the needs of educators and students.

Aigerim Sarsenova, Senior External Affairs Manager at ISSAI, delivered a presentation titled “AI-Based Digital Avatars in Preschool and School Education.” She introduced ISSAI’s photorealistic AI avatar Aibike, as well as a lightweight multilingual avatar system developed within the Qolda project under a PTF grant in collaboration with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The system is designed for real-time Human-AI Interaction in Kazakh, Russian, and English and is powered by ISSAI-developed language and vision-language models. It can be deployed through both cloud-based and local architectures. The presentation demonstrated how AI-powered virtual avatars can enhance student engagement, personalize learning pathways, and support teachers with interactive and adaptive digital tools.

In addition to their presentations, Yerbol Absalyamov and Aigerim Sarsenova conducted several hands-on workshops on using the ISSAI Playground platform. During the sessions, participants:

• Tested AI tools designed for Kazakh-language content;
• Practiced generating and adapting educational materials with AI assistance;
• Explored practical approaches to integrating AI-powered assistants into classroom instruction.

The workshops provided educators with practical examples of how AI tools can be responsibly and effectively incorporated into everyday teaching practice.

ISSAI’s participation in the regional forum and outreach activities in Atyrau further strengthened collaboration with the local education community and promoted awareness of AI-driven educational tools and research opportunities for the next generation.