In the heart of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is attempting a bold leap into the future. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has prioritized transforming the nation into a regional technology hub, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) serving as its spearhead. The recent plan to introduce AI into schools is a move that even the most advanced Western economies would envy. However, beneath the surface of digital modernization lies a paradox that threatens to undermine the country’s national sovereignty and cultural identity: the state apparatus's inability to draft laws directly in its official language, Kazakh.
The Ambition of AI in Education
Tokayev’s vision is not merely a declaration of intent. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education has already begun developing a program to integrate AI tools into the curriculum, from primary to secondary education. The goal is to create a new generation of "digital nomads" capable of competing in the global labor market. The plan includes establishing AI labs in 1,000 schools and training thousands of teachers to use Large Language Models (LLMs) for personalized learning.
This move is considered essential for a country striving to reduce its dependence on natural resource exports. AI is viewed as the catalyst that will allow Kazakhstan to "leapfrog" traditional stages of industrialization. However, analysts point out that technology is only as powerful as the data it is trained on. And this is precisely where the major problem lies.
The Linguistic Paradox: Russian vs. Kazakh
Despite decades of independence from the Soviet Union, the Russian language remains the dominant tongue of administration, science, and law in Kazakhstan. A recent analysis revealed a harsh reality: the vast majority of bills continue to be drafted first in Russian and then translated into Kazakh. This practice is not just a technical issue; it is a matter of substance.
"When a law is translated and not organically drafted in the national language, precision, legal clarity, and ultimately, the connection with the society it is meant to serve are lost," legal circles in Astana report.
The inability to draft laws in Kazakh creates an "artificial" legal language that is often difficult to understand even for native speakers. This phenomenon creates a strange contradiction: the state seeks to teach machines to "think," while it has not yet managed to "think" legislatively in its own language.
The Risk of Digital Colonialism
The challenge for Kazakhstan is twofold. On one hand, using international AI models (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) carries the risk of a new type of cultural colonialism, as these models are primarily trained on English or Russian data, carrying corresponding values and worldviews. On the other hand, creating a domestic "Kazakh LLM" requires a massive volume of high-quality texts in the Kazakh language.
If official legislation, academic papers, and administrative documents are products of translation, then the AI based on them will be a "translated intelligence." It will lack the depth and idiosyncrasy of Kazakh culture. Tokayev faces a historic challenge: synchronizing the country’s digital clock with its linguistic clock.
Conclusion: Technology Without Foundations?
Introducing AI in schools is a commendable and necessary step, but without empowering the state language, it remains a structure without solid foundations. Modernization cannot be only technological; it must also be institutional. Kazakhstan must invest in linguistic technology and the creation of a legal terminology that allows legislators to express themselves primarily in Kazakh. Only then will Artificial Intelligence be able to function as a true tool for national development and not as another mechanism of dependence on foreign models.
