Aigul Zabirova,
Chief Research Fellow,
KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
New data shows that artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday professional life and education in Kazakhstan. AI is changing the way we work, learn, and obtain information, thereby shaping a new cognitive ecosystem for the country.
Discussions about artificial intelligence are now taking place not only in high-level government offices and expert circles, but also in the most ordinary, everyday conversations within families, among friends, and even in neighborhood chat groups. The tone of these discussions ranges from the most optimistic expectations of a “technological leap” to anxieties about the unknown. While some welcome the fact that AI takes over routine tasks and frees up time for more meaningful work, others see it as a threat to jobs and human self-sufficiency. In other words, our debates about AI mix hopes, fears, and a sense that we are standing on the threshold of something very big, yet still unclear. In such an atmosphere, it becomes especially important to rely on data rather than imagination.
When discussing artificial intelligence, one must mention Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, who is also known as the architect of the modern artificial intelligence revolution. Indeed, Altman is a key figure, since he has brought the ChatGPT model out of the laboratory and made it available to hundreds of millions of people, making ChatGPT part of our everyday lives. The emergence of ChatGPT under his leadership has made complex algorithms mainstream and accessible, thus changing the ways people work, learn, and interact with information. Artificial intelligence has become a tool for instant access to the necessary expertise, enhancing human knowledge, skills, and life in general. Our data shows that Kazakhstan is already part of this global change, capturing it at an early stage.
According to a sociological survey commissioned by Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS)[1], half of Kazakhstan’s population (50.7%) already uses artificial intelligence technologies. In fact, artificial intelligence has gone beyond experimentation and has become part of everyday tasks and processes, no longer being a means for rare trials and entertainment.
What are the areas of AI application in Kazakhstan? More than a third of our population uses it in their professional work with texts (36.8% of users), a quarter uses AI for education and self-development (24.2%), and one in ten uses it for analytical and research activities (11.1%). This actually means that AI is getting stronger in areas that shape the country’s human capital, i.e., work, skills, and the ability to learn and analyze. All of this indicates big changes in the labor market. As recently as two years ago, AI was doing routine tasks such as text generation, drafting, translation, and information retrieval. Nevertheless, today, routine uses are replaced by higher-level tasks such as interpretation, critical thinking, and decision-making. In practical terms, this shows how AI enhances rather than replaces humans; it removes routine tasks, increasing the intellectual speed of work.
Indeed, for a long time, discussions about artificial intelligence in many countries centered on fears that it would replace humans in the workplace. However, real-life examples suggest otherwise. AI does not replace specialists, but rather enhances them, as it takes on routine, technical, and preparatory tasks, freeing up time for analysis, interpretation, and decision-making. As a result, the intellectual speed of work increases, as does the ability to process information, learn, and perform complex tasks more quickly. In education, technology has become part of the daily practice of students, teachers, and self-education specialists. AI helps prepare for exams, search for information, understand complex topics, and learn new skills. Thus, a new model of continuous learning is being developed, where the boundaries between formal and informal education are blurred.
One of the most significant changes in the way the people search for and obtain information is the shift from search engines to AI. 11.1% of Kazakhstani AI users reported that they use AI instead of traditional search engines. Obtaining a ready-made explanation or solution rather than searching for links is a completely different and new type of cognitive behavior. The novelty of cognitive behavior lies in the fact that people stop searching and start asking questions and getting ready-made answers. We can say that we are moving from “find it for me” to “explain it to me.” Certainly, this shift is causing concern for many, especially educators, who fear that students are gradually losing the skills to search for information independently. However, current data shows that AI primarily complements educational practices rather than replacing them. Overall, this shift undoubtedly affects the quality of choices in work, education, and everyday life, and shows that dialogue models are already competing with familiar digital tools.
The spread of artificial intelligence is not limited to the formation of new individual skills, but also leads to broader socio-economic consequences. For example, the structure of labor is already changing today, with AI automating basic operations, enhancing expert functions, and accelerating the completion of complex tasks. In reality, this affects the organization of work processes, qualification requirements, and the distribution of roles within teams. A new type of professional behavior is emerging, where specialists work in conjunction with algorithms, and the speed of mastering tools becomes part of a competitive advantage. At the same time, the importance of flexible skills such as analytical thinking, the ability to set tasks for AI, interpret results, and quickly learn new approaches is growing. There is no doubt that we are witnessing the emergence of a new model of human capital, which values not only knowledge but also the ability to work with digital assistants. One can argue that the ability to collaborate with algorithms is becoming a key skill for the AI generation. This is directly reflected in the skills that are particularly in demand nowadays:
– digital literacy;
– analytical thinking;
– ability to set tasks for AI;
– interpretation of results;
– flexibility and speed of learning.
In this reality, it is particularly important to understand what lies behind these figures and what they mean for the country’s development. If we look at the broader picture, it becomes clear that these are not just individual digital habits, but a deeper transformation of everyday life. Artificial intelligence has already become part of the daily work, education, and information behavior of Kazakhstanis. It is shaping the cognitive infrastructure, a new environment where knowledge is created, processed, and used faster than before. For the government and educational institutions, this means the necessity to rethink human capital development strategies, support AI skills, update educational programs, and take into account the increasing speed of cognitive processes in society.
[1] The sociological survey was commissioned by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) and conducted from October 3 to November 5, 2025. The sample size comprised 8,000 respondents. Participants included individuals aged 18 and older from 17 regions of the country, as well as from the cities of republican significance Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.
