Azerbaijan takes part in regional AI Leaders 2026 initiative

The graduation ceremony for the "AI Leaders 2026" program took place at Alem.AI, the International Center for Artificial Intelligence in Astana, AzerNEWS reports.

The initiative has emerged as the largest community of AI leaders in the Central Eurasian region.

The program was organized with the support of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and implemented in cooperation with Stanford HAI, the OpenAI Academy, and the Silkroad Innovation Hub.

More than 800 executives, policymakers, and industry experts representing over 150 organizations from nine countries participated in the initiative. The countries represented included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia.

Over the eight-week course, participants completed more than 45 hours of training, including Stanford lectures, OpenAI Academy practical sessions, and industry seminars. More than 240 strategic sessions and 120 hours of individual mentoring were also held.

The initiative has become one of the flagship projects of the Year of Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan.