Kazakhstan has entered the global race for young AI talent. A Kazakh school student took second place overall at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2026), which brought around 500 participants, mentors and jury members from 106 countries to Astana, DKNews.kz reports.
The 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence was held from August 2 to 8. For the first time, an AI competition of this scale took place in Central Asia.
Astana welcomed participants from 106 countries
Throughout the week, school students tackled practical challenges in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing and other areas of artificial intelligence.
The program went beyond individual competition. Participants also attended educational, scientific and cultural events, meeting young researchers and experts from around the world.
A separate stage, the Team Challenge, brought students together in international teams to solve an applied problem using AI technologies.
Key figures from IOAI 2026:
- Around 500 participants, mentors and jury members
- 106 countries represented
- Seven days of competition and educational activities
- Individual AI challenges and an international Team Challenge
- The first event of this scale in Central Asia
Kazakh student finishes second overall
Dauzhan Beketov of Kazakhstan took second place in the individual competition, becoming one of the three overall winners of IOAI 2026.
The top three were:
- 1st place — Artem Gorokhov, Russia
- 2nd place — Dauzhan Beketov, Kazakhstan
- 3rd place — Shao Zixi, China
The result puts Kazakhstan among the countries producing some of the strongest young competitors in a field increasingly viewed as critical to the future digital economy.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev said the scale of the competition reflects intensifying global competition for AI talent.
«More than 100 countries and around 500 participants demonstrate just how global the competition for talent in artificial intelligence has become today. It is especially important for us that an International AI Olympiad of this level was held in Kazakhstan for the first time, and that a Kazakh school student entered the top three overall winners, taking second place. We are consistently creating all the necessary ecosystem in the country: developing computing infrastructure, establishing the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center and investing in the training of a new generation of specialists. Our goal is for young Kazakhstanis not merely to use artificial intelligence technologies, but to create them themselves and compete with the best specialists in the world,» Zhaslan Madiyev said.
Team Challenge winners
International teams also competed for special awards during the Team Challenge.
- Best Demonstration Award — New Zealand, for the best performance in the robotics competition
- Creative Robot Design Award — Hong Kong, for the most creative robot design
- AI-Native Robotics Award — Brazil, for the best application of AI-native approaches in robotics
The format was designed to test more than individual technical skills. Students had to collaborate, develop practical solutions and demonstrate how AI could be applied in robotics and other real-world scenarios.
Four months to prepare a global event
IOAI 2026 became the largest international educational event in artificial intelligence ever organized in Kazakhstan.
Preparations took only four months and involved the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming, government agencies, the international organizing committee, partners, jury members, experts, hundreds of volunteers and the event's organizational team.
Bagdat Mussin, head of the Kazakhstan Federation of Sport Programming, thanked everyone involved in organizing the Olympiad.
«In just four months, we managed to prepare and hold a world-class Olympiad. This became possible thanks to the support of the Head of State, the joint work of government agencies, international partners, jury members, team leaders, volunteers and the entire organizational team. I sincerely thank everyone who became part of this major event. We aimed to create not merely a competition venue, but a space where an international AI community is formed, new ideas, friendships and future joint projects are born,» Bagdat Mussin said.
Participants visited Alem.ai
Outside the competition, students explored Kazakhstan's technology infrastructure and visited the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center.
They also took part in cultural events and had opportunities to establish professional and personal connections with peers from dozens of countries.
For Kazakhstan, hosting the Olympiad also served as a demonstration of its ambition to become a regional hub for artificial intelligence, technology education and international digital cooperation.
Why IOAI 2026 matters for Kazakhstan
Competition for AI specialists is becoming global, and countries are increasingly trying to identify and develop talent before students enter universities or the labor market.
Hosting participants from 106 countries gives Kazakhstan greater visibility within this emerging international ecosystem. Dauzhan Beketov's second-place finish adds a competitive result to that institutional ambition.
The broader goal is to connect education with the country's expanding AI infrastructure, including computing capacity and Alem.ai, while giving young specialists opportunities to compete internationally.
The long-term impact of IOAI 2026 may therefore extend beyond medals. The students competing in Astana are part of a generation expected to develop new AI technologies, build companies and shape the next stage of the global digital economy.
IOAI 2026 partners
Local partners included Kaspi.kz, Freedom Holding Corp., Astana Hub, Documentolog and Higgsfield AI.
Global partners included IMC, Jane Street, Google, Huawei, Galbot, HRT, Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI and DeepInfra.
