As part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan, AI MONTH 2026, a program of events in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, starts on September 23. It will bring together the technology community, business, education, startups, international experts and regional initiatives across the country. The central event of AI MONTH will be the international technology forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026, which will be held on October 1-3 in Astana. The forum will bring together executives of technology companies, founders of global businesses, scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, startups and representatives of international organizations. The program focuses on artificial intelligence, technological entrepreneurship, investment, human capital development and new opportunities in the digital economy. Tickets for the open program on October 2-3 are available on the forum’s official website: https://digitalbridge.ai/ru/ In 2026, the AI Week format was transformed into AI MONTH. The number of initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence has grown, and the technology agenda covers more industries, audiences and regions of the country. The new format combines initiatives into a single program and represents development
AI ecosystems of Kazakhstan on a national scale. On September 23, AI MONTH will open HackAlem AI powered by OpenAI - one of the world's largest hackathons for creating AI solutions. Teams of up to three people will create agent-based AI solutions for 10 key sectors of the economy of Kazakhstan with the mandatory use of Codex and OpenAI API. HackAlem AI's total prizes and technology resources will be $1.1 million, including a cash prize pool, API tokens, and OpenAI technology resources to develop and launch their own AI solutions. The winners will be awarded on the main stage of AI & Digital Bridge 2026. The hackathon will bring together developers, students, young professionals, startups and IT enthusiasts and give participants the opportunity to go from an idea to a working AI solution in a short time. On September 29-30, Astana will host KazHackStan, an international conference on cybersecurity in Central Asia. More than 100 regional and international speakers will discuss DevSecOps, OSINT, data protection, malware analysis and new cyber threat vectors associated with the development of artificial intelligence. On the same days, the C5+1 platform will be held, dedicated to cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and the United States in the field of art
nal intelligence. Representatives of states, international organizations and the technology community will discuss AI regulation, infrastructure development, personnel training and strengthening international technology partnerships. The investment agenda will be continued by the LP Summit, a summit for LP and VC investors in Eurasia. It will bring together institutional investors, venture and sovereign wealth funds, corporations and family offices to discuss the development of the venture ecosystem and new investment opportunities. AI and MedTech Day will be dedicated to technologies in healthcare: experts, doctors, developers and startups will discuss the use of artificial intelligence in diagnostics and healthcare management and will work on new MedTech solutions. A separate format is a hackathon on humanoid robotics Unitree. Teams will program Unitree G1 humanoid robots provided by the organizers and solve practical problems without the use of simulators. From October 1 to October 3, the Astana AI Film Festival will be held - an international festival dedicated to the direction in cinema, where artificial intelligence is used as a film production tool. The program includes films created using AI, public by
presentations, professional discussions and workshops on how technology is changing directing, visual style, storytelling, character creation, special effects and voice acting. The program also includes international robotics competitions FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League, a UNICEF foresight session on the impact of AI on the future of children and youth, technology events for business and other formats. The regional AI MONTH program will not be limited to events in Astana; during the month, events in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies will be held in regional technology hubs throughout the country. The program will include workshops, bootcamps, hackathons, career meetings, pitch sessions and startup battles. Schoolchildren, students, teachers, developers, entrepreneurs, startup teams and specialists interested in mastering and practical application of artificial intelligence will be able to join the events. The regional program will allow participants from different parts of the country to gain new competencies, develop their own solutions and present projects to the professional community. Current dates, venues and registration conditions are presented on the Astana Hub platform. Program of the month
will conclude the Grand Final alem.ai Battle - the final of the AI competition organized by Astana Hub, an international innovation cluster for the development of technological entrepreneurship and the IT industry of Kazakhstan. In the finals, teams and young talents from Kazakhstan and Central Asia will meet, who will present developments in four categories. The program of regional events is available at the link: https://astanahub.com/ru/event/ AI MONTH combines in a single program the entire cycle of artificial intelligence development: from education, talent training and the creation of AI products to technological entrepreneurship, attracting investments and international cooperation. The organizers of AI & Digital Bridge 2026 are the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana Hub and Akimat of Astana. AI Month brings together partners supporting the development of artificial intelligence, technology initiatives and the AI ecosystem of Kazakhstan. AI Month's gold partners are Freedom Bank, Kaspi.kz and Samruk-Kazyna JSC. Silver partner - Halyk Bank. Transformation Partner - Beeline Kazakhstan. Official partner of HackAlem AI - Firebird AI KZ Ltd.
