Highlights from Day Three of AI & Digital Bridge 2026

The international AI & Digital Bridge 2026 technology forum concluded in Astana on October 3. The final day brought together a technology exhibition, sessions on human capital and the creative industries, the signing of memorandums, the Astana Hub Battle final, and the AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026 ceremony.

The forum’s key positioning this year is Kazakhstan is the Eurasian AI Hub, reflecting the country’s focus on developing its own technology ecosystem, attracting international expertise and investment, training specialists, and creating conditions for AI companies to grow.

AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held from October 1 to 3 at the EXPO International Exhibition Center in Astana. The forum was attended by representatives of government agencies, international technology companies, investors, startups, universities, and research centers. Participants discussed the development of artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

One of the key events of the final day was a plenary session featuring Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov.

During his speech, he noted the importance of further scaling technologies that have already proven effective.

“At the opening of this forum, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Kemelovich Tokayev emphasized that the development of new technologies has become an integral reality of a rapidly changing era. Kazakhstan has already established all the necessary legal foundations for the widespread adoption of AI. Digital infrastructure is developing at an accelerated pace. The Data Center Valley megaproject—the largest campus in Central Asia, with an energy capacity of up to 1 GW—is in the active construction phase. Data centers will become the foundation for the development of artificial intelligence, cloud services, scientific research, and new digital industries. We are open to cooperation with global technology companies”, Olzhas Bektenov said.

The forum’s plenary session also featured DREAM President Sebastian Kurz, Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov, Crimson Education founder Jamie Beaton, and Higgsfield AI CEO Alexander Mashrabov.

The final day of the forum featured a business program devoted to human capital development, artificial intelligence in education, technology entrepreneurship, the global scaling of startups, and the use of AI in the creative industries.

One of the key sessions on the third day was “AI-Sana as a Driver of Transformation: From Skills to AI Products.” MOST Holding co-founder and CEO Pavel Koktyshev served as moderator. The discussion featured Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev, Alpha Intelligence Capital partner and Mariton Partners founding partner Nhi Le, Halyk Bank Deputy Chairman of the Management Board Nariman Mukushev, and Chairperson of the Management Board and Rector of the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University Beibitkul Karimova.

The session Talent Economy 2035: “Who Will Create New Industries?” focused on the role of a new generation of scientists, engineers, and technology entrepreneurs in shaping the economy of the future. The discussion featured TUMO Center for Creative Technologies Chief Development Officer Pegor Papazian, Firebird General Manager and CFO in Kazakhstan Anna Fokina, and Higgsfield AI co-founder and CEO Alex Mashrabov.

The session How can AI startups from Central Eurasia move from local validation to global enterprise growth? focused on the international scaling of technology companies. Silkroad Innovation Hub founder and CEO Aset Abdualiyev served as moderator. The discussion featured Draper University Vice President of Venture Ecosystem Chris Joannou, Alchemist Accelerator CEO Ian Bergman, Armeta co-founder and Chairman of the Management Board Sanjar Rakhmetzhanov, Cybernet AI founder and CEO Ivan Belokhvostikov, and StartX Head of Business Development and Partnerships Darsh Singh Mann.

A separate part of the third day focused on the use of artificial intelligence in film and creativity.

Participants in the session The Future of Live: Music, Concerts and AI discussed the convergence of music, concert formats, and artificial intelligence, viewing AI not as a replacement for humans but as a tool and creative partner. Producer and CEO of the Green Case Group of companies Azat Abyken served as moderator. The session’s speakers were TV+ Kazakhtelecom Director Sandugash Rakhimzhanova, Pantograph and The Spirit of Tengri General Producer Konstantin Golovin, Ninety One member, ArtJaq creative agency founder, producer, and songwriter Dulat Mukhamedkaliyev, and Freedom Music CPO Aidyn Aidyngali.

During the session AAIFF – The Future of AI Filmmaking, participants discussed the capabilities of AI and the traditional approach to filmmaking, as well as their advantages and distinctive features. AAIFF Foundation co-founder and Creative Director Aizat Kussainov served as moderator. Speakers included Dean of the China Film Group Artificial Intelligence Research Institute Ping Ma, AAIFF Foundation founder and Chairman Almas Zhali, former French Minister of Culture and former Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, and AAIFF finalist, AI creator, and director Robert Gaudette.

One of the notable events at AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was the Astana AI Film Festival, the first international competition for films created using artificial intelligence. The competition received more than 8 thousand submissions from 125 countries. Participants from the US, India, China, South Korea, the UK, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, France, and other countries presented their work.

Exhibition: From Robots to an AI University

The exhibition program was one of the central venues at AI & Digital Bridge 2026. More than 90 startups were presented in Startup Alley, along with 49 IT companies and 50 individual booths and pavilions. The exhibition was divided into four themed zones—Robotics, Art, GameDev and Vibe Coding, while Startup Alley became a separate venue for startups to present their products and developments.

During the final day of AI & Digital Bridge 2026, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov was presented with an AI solution from Qazaq AI Research University (QAIRU) for video and audio analytics of the educational process, an AI tutor, and tools for analyzing educational progress. In the financial sector, he was shown the Kasper AI assistant, an AI model from Halyk Bank, and the AI-Compliance platform from Freedom Holding. In industry, he was shown KMG’s digital twin and KTZ’s SMART diagnostics using artificial intelligence technologies from the Samruk-Qazyna group of companies. Other digital products for various sectors were also presented, including Alem AI Platform, QazBot Technologies, Trusted Kazakhstan and QazEta.

Also on October 3, 21 memorandums and agreements were signed during the forum in the fields of technology, investment, education, and international cooperation.

These included agreements and memorandums between Astana Hub, 01.ai and q.ai, QazPost JSC and Ailat Holding, Alem.ai Endowment and ChangeSchool, Kazakhtelecom JSC and Network School, Qazaq AI Research University and the Til-Qazyna National Scientific and Practical Center, as well as agreements in technology transfer, healthcare digitalization, cybersecurity, environmental monitoring, sports, and artificial intelligence.

During the third day of AI & Digital Bridge 2026, a workshop was held for journalists on the use of artificial intelligence in the day-to-day work of newsrooms—from finding information and analyzing documents to preparing and editing materials.

Competitions and Awards

On the final day of the forum, the winners of the annual AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026 were announced, recognizing projects, companies, and teams that have contributed to the development of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and digital transformation.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov presented the awards to the winners.

In 2026, awards were presented in seven categories:

GovTech Project of the Year — eGov.GPT, NIT JSC;
EdTech Project of the Year — GoPrep, Aleem Labs LLP;
Startup of the Year — Rette (Defect AI);
Corporate AI – Transformation of the Year — Aventa, QazCode;
International Breakthrough of the Year — Higgsfield AI, Higgsfield Ltd.;
VC of the Year — MA7 Ventures;
Creative Industry Project of the Year — ōzen, OZEN XO LLP.

In addition, the Astana Hub Battle 2026 final was held on the final day of the forum. The final’s jury included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Higgsfield AI CEO Alex Mashrabov, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC Bagdat Mussin, SpaceX investor and Sofreh Capital founder Shervin Pishevar, and MA7 Ventures venture ecosystem founder Murat Abdrakhmanov.

Four startups were named winners, each receiving $25 thousand:

AI won the Impact Maker category;
NCSpeech won the Market Shaper category;
Astana Dynamics won the Growth Engine category;
Aman won the Investor’s Choice category.

In addition, Aman received an additional grant of $200 thousand from MA7 Ventures. The competition’s partners also provided technology resources to selected teams: Pulsar AI received cloud resources worth 10 million tenge from Yandex Kazakhstan, while M3TRIQ received GPU resources worth $25 thousand from Kazakhtelecom.

The forum concluded with performances by special guests: Kazakhstani artist and songwriter Sadraddin, known for his distinctive style combining a contemporary sound with elements of Kazakh musical culture, as well as Kazakhstani artist and Ninety One member ZAQ (Dulat Mukhametkaliyev).

About the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 Forum

The organizers are the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana Hub, and the Astana city administration.

AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was made possible through the support of the forum’s partners and sponsors. All expenses associated with holding the forum are covered by sponsorship funds.

Gold partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Qazyna JSC, and Kazakhtelecom JSC. Silver partner: Halyk Bank. Business partner: Beeline Kazakhstan. Bronze partner: Yandex Qazaqstan. Technology partner: Transtelecom JSC. Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.