Фото из личного архива Куаныша Сарсекеева
Kuanysh Sarsekeyev spent more than 21 years in the public sector, working in ministries and national companies, including the Ministry of Energy and organisations in the oil and gas industry. Now he builds AI apps on his own, without a team of programmers, ranging from an assistant for teenagers to an app for families of older people. One of his projects, AI Book Studio, earned him a place in the second stage of the Creative Shift programme.
From the public sector to AI
At government agencies and national companies, Sarsekeyev worked on industry policy and major projects. Since leaving public service, he has continued to send policy briefs proposing reforms to government bodies on a voluntary basis.
“I may have left public service, but public service hasn’t left me,” he says.
App development became his new focus. Sarsekeyev learned vibe coding, an approach in which language models write code from a description of a task, while a person sets the tasks, checks the results and puts the product together. He says this allowed him to design more than ten apps in a short time.
AI Book Studio — платформа для авторов и сценаристов · Скриншот: Куаныш Сарсекеев
AI Book Studio — a project for Creative Shift
Sarsekeyev submitted AI Book Studio to Creative Shift, Qazaq Creative’s programme for the creative industries. The platform helps authors and screenwriters structure plots, find ideas and work on their writing with AI. The project advanced to the second stage, a mentoring programme taking place in November in Astana, in the “Media, Literature and AI” track.
AI Smart School — выбор предмета · Скриншот: Куаныш Сарсекеев
What else he has built
The apps cater to different audiences. Here are some of them:
- Personal Advisor — an assistant for teenagers covering stress, bullying, relationships with parents and peers, career guidance tests and a reading list. Its creator stresses that the app does not replace a psychologist.
- Pocket Advisor — an assistant for adults focused on preventing burnout and work-related stress.
- Mind Memory — an app for older people and their families, offering recommendations on the early detection of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and on maintaining cognitive function, plus advice for relatives on caring for loved ones with these conditions. The app does not provide treatment or replace a doctor.
- AI Smart School — a home tutor covering the school curriculum.
- A separate series of AI assistants for business and analytics in the regions.
This is not the full list: Sarsekeyev has several other apps for business and society.
Personal Advisor — ИИ-помощник для подростков · Скриншот: Куаныш Сарсекеев
Where the products stand
Sarsekeyev says copyright certificates have already been issued for some of the apps, while registration is being completed for the rest. The apps are undergoing beta testing. The next step is to launch them on the App Store and Google Play. He has presented the projects at Astana Hub competitions and international startup championships.
Pocket Advisor — ИИ-помощник для взрослых · Скриншот: Куаныш Сарсекеев
Why it matters
Sarsekeyev’s story shows how the path into software development is changing: someone with management experience and an understanding of the problems that need solving no longer necessarily has to assemble a team of programmers to build a prototype. Beyond that, it comes down to the same things as any startup: users, quality and money to launch.
This is the first article in the “Stories of Creative Shift Participants” series. Disclosure: raem.kz editor-in-chief Raimbek Iskendirov is also taking part in the programme.
Mind Memory — приложение для пожилых и их семей · Скриншот: Куаныш Сарсекеев
