The International Artificial Intelligence Center alem.ai hosted the official graduation ceremony of AI Leaders 2026, the largest executive education program on artificial intelligence in Central Eurasia. The program was delivered through a partnership between Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), OpenAI Academy, Silkroad Innovation Hub, and the Ministry of AI and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As one of the flagship initiatives of Kazakhstan’s Year of Artificial Intelligence, the program brought together 819 executives and professionals from more than 150 organizations across nine countries, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Qatar, the UAE, and Mongolia. Participants represented government agencies, national holdings, financial institutions, technology companies, industrial enterprises, and educational organizations.

The graduation ceremony featured remarks from Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Asset Abdualiyev, Founder and CEO of Silkroad Innovation Hub, presented the key outcomes of AI Leaders 2026. Rachel Brown, Economic Strategist at OpenAI, delivered a keynote presentation on the role of AI in economic development. The event was also attended by Valerie Focke, Education for Countries Lead at OpenAI. A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of AI strategies developed by participants for their organizations.

Speaking at the ceremony, Zhaslan Madiyev stated:

"2026 has been declared the Year of Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan, and the AI Leaders program has become one of the most important initiatives supporting this national agenda. Today, we are no longer discussing the future of AI—we are focused on its practical implementation across the economy, public administration, and society. Kazakhstan is steadily building an ecosystem that will position our country as a regional leader in artificial intelligence. Preparing a new generation of leaders capable of making decisions powered by modern technologies is a strategic investment in the competitiveness of our nation and the future of our economy."

The Academic Director of AI Leaders was Peter Norvig, Stanford HAI Professor, author of one of the world's most influential textbooks on artificial intelligence, former Director of Research at Google, and a member of the AI Advisory Council under the President of Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, the curriculum was carefully adapted to the needs and priorities of the Central Eurasian region. The program also featured more than 15 internationally recognized AI experts, including Sandy Pentland, Michael Bernstein, Diyi Yang, and Mykel Kochenderfer.

Over eight weeks, participants completed more than 45 hours of instruction, including Stanford HAI lectures, OpenAI Academy workshops, industry-focused sessions, and strategic consultations. In total, participants took part in more than 240 AI strategy sessions and received over 120 hours of one-on-one mentoring.

“Kazakhstan has quickly become one of the regional leaders in AI adoption and has taken initiatives to embed AI across government and industry. In our research, we have seen that organizations maximizing the benefit from AI tools use them for a wide variety of capabilities. The graduates of the AI Leaders Program have a unique opportunity to bring that frontier knowledge to their work in Kazakhstan.” — Rachel Brown, Economic Strategist at OpenAI

In addition to Stanford University HAI, OpenAI Academy, and Silkroad Innovation Hub, the program was supported by CAYU and Lovable. A strong emphasis was placed on practical AI implementation through workshops focused on building and deploying AI agents across banking, government, industry, and other sectors.

Asset Abdualiyev, Founder and CEO of Silkroad Innovation Hub, emphasized:

"We designed AI Leaders not simply as an educational program, but as a platform for developing the next generation of digital economy leaders. For Central Eurasia, direct access to world-class expertise and technologies is critically important. Today, we are seeing the results of this effort: more than 100 AI strategies developed by participants, leaders ready to implement AI within their organizations, and most importantly, the emergence of the largest community of AI transformation leaders in Central Eurasia.

For us, the graduation ceremony in Astana is not the end — it is the beginning of a long-term movement. The first AI Community Meetup has already taken place in Almaty, with upcoming events planned in Tashkent, Dushanbe, and Doha. We are building a platform for ongoing collaboration among businesses, governments, universities, and technology companies. Communities like these become the foundation for innovation, knowledge sharing, and long-term regional growth."

Upon completing the program, participants received certificates from Stanford University HAI and OpenAI Academy and joined the AI Leaders Community — the largest professional network of executives driving digital transformation and AI adoption across Central Eurasia.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/maidd/press/news/details/1235944?lang=ru