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Kazakhstan has created a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development under a decree signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The new body was formed by reorganizing the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI). Its functions and powers related to innovation will be transferred to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The government has been instructed to reallocate staff positions across state agencies and their subordinate organizations.
Tokayev first announced the creation of the ministry in his September 8 address to the nation. “To become part of the new technological order, we must restructure the entire system of public administration, dramatically increasing its transparency, efficiency, and human-centeredness. Therefore, I believe that on the basis of the existing ministry, we should establish a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, to be headed by a specialist with the rank of deputy prime minister,” he said, tasking the government with ensuring the widespread adoption of AI to modernize all sectors of the economy.
As part of the initiative, the government plans to draft a unified concept document, Digital Qazaqstan, which will consolidate all projects in the field into a national strategy.
Kazakhstan is not the first to form such a body. The United Arab Emirates became the first country to establish a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence in 2017. Within Kazakhstan, responsibilities related to AI had until now been handled by the Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Development.
