Illustration: AI
Kazakhstan has already built several artificial intelligence models using open technologies. In Astana, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev discussed with Jensen Huang whether the country needs to build its own model from scratch. The NVIDIA CEO backed the idea, calling homegrown AI a matter of national security. (kz.kursiv.media)
What kind of Kazakh GPT does Kazakhstan need?
Madiyev explained what he expects from Kazakhstan’s own AI. His question focused on understanding the Kazakh language, culture and national characteristics.
“People are asking whether we need our own ‘Kazakh GPT.’ We want artificial intelligence to understand and speak Kazakh, and to grasp the cultural context and the country’s distinctive characteristics,” Madiyev said. (kz.kursiv.media)
The minister said Kazakhstan’s models are built on open-source technologies and open weights. He asked at what point the country should start developing its own foundation model from scratch, and whether there is a practical need to do so. (kz.kursiv.media)
Why the NVIDIA chief sees AI as a security issue
Huang backed the development of such a model. He linked the need for it to AI’s impact on citizens, companies and countries.
“I think it makes perfect sense, and what’s more, I’m convinced it’s a matter of national security. Intelligence is fundamental, universal and directly affects every citizen, every company and every country,” the NVIDIA chief replied. (kz.kursiv.media)
Explaining his position, Huang compared national data to natural resources. In his view, a country should control information about its population, language and culture itself, rather than hand it over entirely to foreign technology companies.
“You can’t take something as fundamental as your people’s culture and values, export it and import someone else’s intelligence in return. That makes no sense,” Huang stressed. (kz.kursiv.media)
What this means for you
Madiyev described the capabilities he wants from homegrown AI: speaking Kazakh and understanding the cultural context. Those were the requirements the minister set out in the discussion of Kazakh GPT. (kz.kursiv.media)
Huang also offered a prediction about infrastructure: countries will have their own “intelligence grid” in the future. It will power AI services for the public, businesses and government institutions. (kz.kursiv.media)
The NVIDIA chief believes this infrastructure could become as important as electricity, the internet and telecommunications. That is how Huang described the future of national AI systems, whose development he links to countries’ independence. (kz.kursiv.media)
