On October 6, 2025, the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University hosted Dr. Paul Kim, Professor at Stanford University and Member of the Kazakhstan AI Council, and Elena Sedykh, venture investor and founder of Dogovor24.
The visit aimed to discuss potential collaboration on the AI-Sana national initiative and explore opportunities to integrate ISSAI’s technologies into large-scale digital and AI projects in Kazakhstan.
From ISSAI, the meeting was attended by Dr. Atakan Varol, General Director; Yerbol Abslyamov, Executive Director; Amina Baikenova, Acting Deputy Director of Product and External Affairs; Alaidar Amirseiit, Government Relations Manager; and Aigerim Sarsenova, Senior External Affairs Manager.
During the meeting, Alaidar Amirseiit presented ISSAI’s current projects and capabilities, highlighting the Institute’s contributions to the development of AI research, education, and applied technologies in Kazakhstan.
Dr. Paul Kim praised ISSAI’s progress, emphasizing that government funding in its projects would be a strategic investment given the Institute’s high potential for impact.
In turn, Amina Baikenova noted that the ISSAI Playground, the Institute’s open experimentation and education platform, could be used by AI-Sana users to test, develop, and deploy AI solutions.
The discussion reflected a shared vision for strengthening Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem through academic, technological, and venture collaboration, positioning ISSAI as a key contributor to the nation’s digital transformation.