Today, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan launched the strategic training program AI Governance 500, aimed at preparing senior leaders to scale artificial intelligence in the public sector.
The program is being implemented at the instruction of the Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan by the Agency for Civil Service Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry.
The first cohort of the program, consisting of 100 senior officials, was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev, Presidential Aide Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs Darkhan Zhazykbay, and Head of the Secretariat of the Head of the Presidential Administration Kanysh Tuleushin.
AI Governance 500 is designed to create a sustainable talent pool of digital leaders (AI officers) capable of initiating and overseeing cross-agency digital projects, ensuring architectural coherence, and achieving the strategic objectives of the national agenda within the framework of the Digital Kazakhstan concept.
Participants in the program include heads of structural divisions of the Presidential Administration and the Government Office, sectoral vice ministers, deputy akims of regions, chiefs of staff of central government bodies, and leaders of local executive authorities.
The program follows a comprehensive learning pathway from building a strategic understanding of the role of AI and the architecture of the digital state to developing applied digital transformation and AI initiatives that are ready for implementation at the ministerial and regional levels.
It is worth noting that the Head of State has declared 2026 the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, underscoring the importance of systematic capacity building for personnel involved in the digital transformation of public administration.
