Macau, April 23, 2025 — Nazarbayev University (NU) participated at the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Universities Summit 2025. Co-hosted by THE and Macau University of Science and Technology, the summit convened top institutions from across Asia to explore the continent’s growing influence in science, technology, and higher education.
The NU delegation, led by President Dr. Waqar Ahmad and Professor Huseyin Atakan Varol, Director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI), delivered a compelling presentation highlighting Kazakhstan’s pioneering contributions to generative AI. Their session, titled “Kazakh Large Language Model: How Universities Can Drive Translational Impact in Generative AI,” drew strong interest from global academic and industry leaders.
Central to the presentation was KAZ-LLM, a sovereign large language model tailored specifically for the Kazakh language and cultural context. Professor Varol outlined how NU tackled challenges such as data scarcity and linguistic bias by integrating advanced machine learning research with deep local knowledge. The university’s achievements—including the Soyle translation engine and the multimodal Oylan2 model, which combines language, audio, and vision capabilities—demonstrated how academic institutions can lead in the development of ethical, culturally-informed AI technologies with real-world relevance.
The NU team concluded by unveiling the “Generative AI for Good” initiative, a bold call for collaborative development of high-performance AI that is ethically grounded, culturally aware, and inclusive of underrepresented languages. The initiative seeks to promote shared innovation among Asian universities to ensure artificial intelligence serves diverse communities and benefits society as a whole.
The announcement sparked engaging dialogue among summit attendees and underscored the importance of regional cooperation in the ethical development of AI. NU’s leadership in this space reinforces its commitment to shaping an inclusive digital future rooted in responsible innovation.