Two Presidents Took Part in the Conference
President Kassym Jomart Tokayev took part in the online “Artificial Intelligence Journey” conference devoted to artificial intelligence and data analysis. The event, which brought together more than 28,000 registered participants from 90 countries, was the largest conference in the world this year.
Together with President Tokayev, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, took part in the conference’s main discussion, “Artificial Intelligence – the Best Technology of the 21st Century”. The moderator was Herman Gref, Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank. In his speech, the Head of State noted that the world is already living in the age of artificial intelligence, machine learning and neural networks, which span areas of human activity such as the economy, security, medicine and politics. He also pointed out that, in his view, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic these changes have affected ordinary people.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev conveyed his thoughts on the subject with warnings and by underlining the issue of cybersecurity, saying: “This is a new world into which we are being driven relentlessly and rapidly by new technologies. Whether it will be good or frightening, what kind of future we leave to the coming generations, depends on our joint efforts. Its controlled development must be ensured, depending on the efforts of engineers, IT specialists, economists and, most importantly, politicians.”
He also noted that today artificial intelligence can detect diseases from images, make appropriate diagnoses and save people’s lives.
For example, the President stated that, according to experts’ estimates, the use of artificial intelligence will make it possible to identify subsequent waves of disease from dangerous infections 18 months in advance and will gain a significant amount of time for preparing for such situations.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan has set the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and big data analysis as one of its main development priorities. He expressed the view that it is important for geographically large states to minimise the “digital inequality” within the country and that “digital agglomeration” is gaining in importance.
The President told the participants of the event about the measures taken in Kazakhstan to introduce digital technologies, which played an important role during the pandemic. For example, he stated that applications had been launched for the provision of remote public services, remote identification and the opening of accounts for social benefits.
Tokayev expressed his interest in the use of information technologies to improve the system of public administration and the quality of the implementation of state policies. He drew attention to the role of digitalisation and big data analysis in the formation and effective implementation of evidence-based policy.
As stated in the speech, the availability of real-time data, as well as the help of machine intelligence in forecasts based on incomplete or implicit information, will radically change the quality of the decisions taken.
According to him, Kazakhstan is working to implement the concept of “Data-Driven Government”, new approaches to collecting and processing large amounts of data in real time.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed to the need to build the necessary ecosystem systematically. According to him, the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence was established on the basis of Nazarbayev University, which, together with the World Bank, plans to create a national artificial intelligence cluster with its own laboratory, a research centre for data processing and a science park. He stated that work on accelerating the 2050 projects as AI development would continue.
The President also recalled that there is an agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan, the Astana International Financial Centre and the World Economic Forum on opening an Affiliate Centre for the 4th Industrial Revolution within the jurisdiction and on the platform of the AIFC. This Centre will bring together the state institutions and the business and industrial partners of Central Asia in order to develop regulatory standards for the implementation of innovative projects.
President Tokayev noted that the use of new technologies is not an end in itself but a way of improving citizens’ lives and the business environment. He is certain that digitalisation and the development of artificial intelligence technologies are not a fad but a key tool for achieving national competitiveness.
The state must work like a machine. But a true “listening state” is needed, and civil servants must have a sense of empathy and compassion and devote more resources to interaction with citizens, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasised.
He also drew the conference participants’ attention to the risks that must be taken into account when developing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI). According to him, where the lion’s share of the information processed is private, there is the problem of the security and protection of personal data. For his part, he drew attention to the importance of seeking a middle way in order to solve this problem.
President Tokayev also drew attention to the possibility of artificial intelligence being used as a “weapon” in conflicts and geopolitical confrontations. The difficulties in the existing architecture of security and arms control may be further increased by conflicts in the field of cyber technologies and artificial intelligence.
On this basis, he suggested that individual countries, political blocs and even individual companies possessing highly advanced technologies may begin to demand a special status and may dictate their terms to other countries.
The President suggested that the world’s political establishment should consider the possibility of adopting an accord on not using artificial intelligence technologies to harm people and violate their rights. As he said, such a document would become a kind of moral and ethical agreement for people and a categorical imperative for the developers of artificial intelligence.
“Our task is to establish measures to prevent negative effects of this kind. However, paradoxical as it may sound, the success of the new era will depend on the level of humanity we put into the new technologies. The thought processes of machines and robots must develop only in a constructive direction,” said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, concluding his remarks on his conviction regarding the functioning of the system.
Summing up his speech, the President noted that artificial intelligence, when applied correctly, is a tool that will enable all of us to develop in a more balanced and harmonious way.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence Vladimir Putin Kassym Jomart Tokayev
Translated from the Turkish original.