Timur Turlov: Kazakhstan Leads the AI Revolution at Digital Bridge 2025

KAZAKH PRESIDENT TOKAYEV OUTLINES THE COUNTRY’S AI AGENDA FOR GOVERNANCE, EDUCATION, AND BUSINESS

At the Digital Bridge 2025 International Forum in Astana, held in October, Kazakhstan showcased its ambitions to become a regional and global leader in artificial intelligence and digital transformation. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the country’s drive to build a knowledge-based AI-advanced economy and foster international cooperation. He outlined concrete measures for digital governance, education, and business to reach this ambitious goal in only three years. Initial steps are already underway.

The Digital Bridge 2025 International Forum took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, on October 2–4. It brought together government leaders, technology companies, startups, investors, and business angels to discuss artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, and new opportunities for innovation. The general partner of the event was Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, a part of the Freedom Holding Corp., NASDAQ-listed finance and tech group, headquartered in Kazakhstan.

Generative Nation

This year’s forum theme, “Generative Nation,” highlights Kazakhstan’s focus on developing a knowledge-based society powered by advanced technologies and especially AI. “The world has entered the era of artificial intelligence. We are all witnessing how this revolutionary technology is radically changing politics, economics, and the daily lives of billions of people. Our task is to direct these new technologies for the benefit of humanity as key drivers of progress and cooperation”. – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated in his speech at the Forum.

Building on President Tokayev’s vision, the business community supports this challenge. “In Kazakhstan, we can clearly see how human relationships are shifting – from hierarchical and vertical to multifaceted and dynamic. President Tokayev seems to understand this better than anyone, emphasizing the need to rethink and even reconfigure some of the “settings” of our society, using the opportunities that progress brings,” Timur Turlov, CEO and Founder of Freedom Holding Corp.

Trillion-Dollar Momentum

The transformation that AI makes is incredible. According to recent reports from Gartner and Goldman Sachs, global spending on artificial intelligence is projected to reach nearly $1.5 trillion in 2025, with expectations to exceed $2 trillion by 2025. Goldman Sachs estimates that the widespread adoption of generative AI could contribute approximately 7% to global GDP, equating to nearly $7 trillion, over a ten-year period.

Kazakhstan has an ambition to be among the leaders of this transformation. “We have set ourselves a clear goal: Kazakhstan must become a truly digital country within three years,” Tokayev said. The whole work is coordinated by the Council for AI Development, which was recently set up in Kazakhstan under a decree of the President. The country’s digital transformation is taking place across several key areas.

AI in Education

One of the key sectors in which AI is being implemented in Kazakhstan is education. This topic was on the agenda at the first meeting of the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence on 1 October 2025. According to Tokayev, the first steps have already been taken.

A historic decision was made to establish the first research university in the field of artificial intelligence. In addition, the Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence – a global hub where artificial intelligence technologies will be researched and implemented – was opened.

Complementing these national initiatives, Timur Turlov emphasizes the importance of breakthrough ideas and digitalization as tools for accelerating the development of human capital. As part of its social responsibility activities, Freedom Holding actively participates in the implementation of new technologies in education. One of the group’s ongoing projects in this area is its partnership with the Kazakh EdTech company Bilim Media on a school ecosystem project which includes an electronic diary and assistant.

International Cooperation

President Tokayev emphasized the importance of international cooperation in advancing digital technologies, advocating partnerships with global tech leaders and organizations. He stated that Kazakhstan is actively participating in global dialogues on this topic.

“At the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly, I confirmed Kazakhstan’s readiness to contribute to the work of a Global Dialogue on AI Governance under the auspices of the UN”, he said. He added that they also welcome the initiatives of their partners, including China’s proposal to establish a Global Organization for AI Cooperation.

In line with the national trend of global partnerships in the digital sector, Freedom Holding is bringing SpaceX’s Starlink to the country. Through its subsidiary Astel, it will provide high-speed broadband to businesses, schools and government offices from autumn 2025 onwards. “Connecting every village, every school, and every business with high-speed internet is not simply about convenience — it is about giving every citizen equal access to opportunity in the global digital economy,” Timur Turlov explained.

AI in Governance

Another strategic focus is on a complete transition to a digital format of governance within three years. “This means a profound transformation of the state’s relationship with citizens and businesses. To this end, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has been created”, he explained.

The idea is that every new public service must be created in digital format from the outset. Data provided once should not be requested again. This will significantly enhance the effectiveness of strategic planning, improve the well-being of the citizens, and foster economic growth.

The digitalization of government services, combined with the digitalization of businesses, is already yielding practical results. For example, Freedom Bank uses it to offer fully digital mortgages, car loans and other services. As Timur Turlov explained earlier, every stage of the process can be done remotely, from filling out the application to signing the contract. As a result, the mortgage approval process has been reduced from weeks to 24 hours.

Business involvement

According to Tokayev, national companies and domestic enterprises must actively implement innovative projects. “In the era of advanced technologies, it is very important to be prepared for radical transformations. Obviously, without this, progress is impossible”, he said. And this is already happening. At the Forum, for example, Timur Turlov presented the group’s AI-driven projects.

One of them – an AI Assistant. “In just a few days, it will become available to tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, and within a few months, it will be integrated into our Freedom SuperApp for all users”, Timur Turlov stated.  Freedom is building its own digital ecosystem, which has already integrated so many financial, technological, lifestyle and governmental services that it is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. “We’ve already reached a critical mass of synergies, and the next natural step is the launch of a personal AI Assistant”, he said.

In practice, this means that every one of our SuperApp users – already more than 3 million people – will get a fully-fledged digital helper that acts in their interest: recommending the right services at the right moment, guiding them through complexity, and making sense of products that are often hard to understand. Timur Turlov explained. For example, these assistants will be able to book flights, suggest trips or concerts, calculate the budgets, and even plan weekly grocery shopping based on a customer’s habits. Moreover, all of this will be voice-driven.

Center of Gravity

For Freedom Holding itself as a business, it creates a “center of gravity”, making the clients always return. “When we acquire businesses and integrate them into the Freedom ecosystem, we acquire a loyal audience that should become our customers. “The large number of different services and products that we have implemented on our platform, combined with effective cross-selling, gives customers plenty of reasons to keep coming back to the ecosystem,” explains Timur Turlov.

The opportunities which the Digital Bridge 2025 International Forum brings to its audience make Kazahkstan the center of gravity on the international level. First held in 2018, Digital Bridge has become Central Asia’s leading technology discussion platform, welcomed over 67,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Reflecting on the forum’s impact, Timur Turlov noted: “Digital Bridge is proof that the gravity has already been created in Kazakhstan – thanks to openness, a young spirit, and readiness for rapid digital transformation. And I am certain we have a real chance to claim a leading role in the global architecture of AI-driven leadership”.