Amina Baikenova, Deputy Director of Products and External Affairs at the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI), delivered a keynote titled “Advancing Intelligence: The Great Convergence” at the Huawei Computing Forum held during GITEX AI Kazakhstan 2026.
The presentation emphasized the deepening synergy between global technological infrastructure and local innovation ecosystems, positioning Kazakhstan as an emerging “Generative Nation” that is transitioning from a consumer of technology to an active architect of artificial intelligence systems.
Ms. Baikenova highlighted the complementary roles of Huawei and ISSAI in building a sovereign AI ecosystem, describing Huawei as providing the “digital soil” through its Ascend infrastructure, while ISSAI serves as the “national intellectual engine” driving research, model development, and applied innovation. She underscored the importance of radical openness, noting Huawei’s initiative to open-source core software foundations by the end of 2025, which will provide local developers and researchers with essential tools for technological independence and large-scale innovation.
She further introduced ISSAI’s product ecosystem, presenting flagship AI systems developed by the institute, including Oylan, a multimodal reasoning engine capable of processing both visual and textual information for advanced problem-solving; MangiSoz, a speech and text translation system designed for multilingual communication; and TilSync, a real-time AI subtitle generation system that enables seamless language accessibility across digital platforms. She also highlighted Qolda, an open-source compact 4B-parameter model optimized for laptops and mobile devices, designed to democratize access to advanced AI reasoning regardless of hardware limitations.
All ISSAI technologies are developed under the guiding principles of “AI for Good” and “AI for Kazakhstan,” ensuring that innovation remains ethical, inclusive, and aligned with national priorities.
A significant part of the keynote was dedicated to human capital development. Ms. Baikenova presented the Summer Research Program (SRP), which has trained more than 150 researchers selected from over 5,000 global applicants since 2021. The program remains a key pillar of ISSAI’s mission to equip 5 million citizens with AI competencies by 2030, contributing to Kazakhstan’s transformation into a leading AI talent hub along the Silk Road.
The keynote concluded with the vision of “The Great Convergence,” a future where global infrastructure, national innovation, and human capital come together to shape transformative artificial intelligence systems. Ms. Baikenova stated that the foundations have already been laid and that ISSAI is actively architecting an AI future that serves the people, culture, and national development of Kazakhstan.