Astana, April 4, 2025 – The Europe Today: A round table on artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation between Kazakhstan and France was held at Astana Hub, organized by the French Embassy in collaboration with Astana Hub and the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan. The event focused on the outcomes of the “AI Action Summit” held in Paris in early 2025 and explored opportunities for further collaboration between the two nations in the AI sector, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The discussion gathered key figures from both countries, including First Vice Minister of Digital Development Kanash Tuleushin, Ambassador of France to Kazakhstan Sylvain Guiaugue, and Astana Hub Managing Director Tanat Ukembaev.
Ambassador Guiaugue highlighted the strong political and legislative ties between France and Kazakhstan, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in AI policy:
“First of all, we have a political partnership, and that was shown by Kazakhstan’s participation in the AI Summit in Paris. (…) I think France and Kazakhstan can exchange experiences regarding the drafting of legislation and also the business environment in order to foster the development of companies.”
He also underscored the role of academic cooperation and joint projects, particularly in digital connectivity and smart city development:
“Expertise France, which is our consulting company in the framework of the AFD Group, our development agency, is starting a digital connectivity project in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. This is a project funded by the European Union to enhance digital connectivity across the region, especially in rural areas, and to support the development of low-level satellites and networks with the assistance of the European Investment Bank.”
Astana Hub Managing Director Tanat Ukembaev presented the AlemAI initiative, which includes an AI museum, an educational center for 10,000 schoolchildren, Tomorrow School, an AI campus aimed at launching 100 startups annually, and R&D laboratories.
Ukembaev also highlighted Kazakhstan’s advancements in AI, citing the success of the startup Pixel:
“I think this is a great example of how the talented engineers from Kazakhstan are leading in the AI race, particularly in the video-generating sector. They are competing with major players like OpenAI and Google, and currently, only four countries in the world have their own video-generating models—Kazakhstan is one of them.”
Adding to the discussion, Ivan Kononov, Director of HubLab.ai, emphasized the challenges Kazakhstani startups face in accessing global markets and called for stronger government-backed AI partnerships, particularly with France. He also stressed the need for greater AI education and public awareness.
“The main focus nowadays must be on education about artificial intelligence. Everything is evolving rapidly, and we need to ensure that people understand AI, neural networks, their benefits, risks, and practical applications at home and in the workplace,” Kononov said.
Jérôme Boyer, Director of Alstom for Central Asia, spoke about AI applications in Kazakhstan’s railway industry, including fatigue monitoring for train drivers, predictive maintenance for locomotives, AI-powered security enhancements, and procurement optimization.
“It is crucial for us to ensure safety, cybersecurity, and protection of our freight operations. AI plays an important role in making sure our systems are secure and not exposed to cyber threats,” Boyer stated, underlining the growing importance of AI-driven cybersecurity.
Earlier reports noted that the Kazakh startup CelebraAI, specializing in AI-powered stroke diagnostics, had been recognized among the top 15 AI companies in the U.S. and Canada, further showcasing Kazakhstan’s growing influence in the AI sector.
