ASTANA — AI and digital trust, energy, creative economy, education and innovation, and the future of work and human capital were on the table at the Qazaqstan NEXT 2026 forum on Jan. 28. The policymakers, business leaders and experts debated on trends and their impact on Kazakhstan’s economic growth, investment climate and competitiveness.
Photo credit: ai.wharton.upenn.edu
Turning Points Qazaqstan magazine, under license from The New York Times, has also been launched at the event. The issue features exclusive essays looking ahead to 2026 by leading global thinkers including Thomas Friedman, Jonathan Haidt, Nicholas Kristof and Jack Thorne, alongside analysis, assessments and forecasts from Kazakh experts.
Contributors include Magzum Mirzagaliyev, the adviser to the President, on the future of global nuclear energy and Kazakhstan’s role, Sayasat Nurbek, the minister of Science and Higher Education, on the development of AI and innovation at Kazakhstan’s universities, Serik Tolykpayev, the founder of AITAS Holding, on food security; and Professor Almaz Sharman on AI development in healthcare.
“We bring exclusive analytical content from a global publication such as The New York Times with bold, forward-looking insights from domestic experts on a single platform. We are confident that Turning Points Qazaqstan will give new impetus to the media landscape, while the Qazaqstan NEXT 2026 forum will evolve into a global platform for developing effective proposals on the country’s development trajectory,” said Kazmedia Holding CEO Yerkin Zhakypov.
The presentation highlighted the magazine’s editorial vision and its focus on long-term global shifts and future-oriented thinking.
“Inspired by the ideas of The New York Times, Turning Points Qazaqstan seeks to address fundamental questions such as ‘Where are we going?’ and ‘What lies ahead?’ As AI increasingly shapes economics, business, education and science, culture and literature — and even politics — the magazine brings together voices from a wide range of fields, offering diverse perspectives, insights and forecasts,” said Editor-in-Chief Aibyn Shagalak.
The forum was also described as a platform fostering long-term public-private dialogue and cross-sector cooperation.
“As a strategic partner of Turning Points Qazaqstan and the Qazaqstan NEXT forum, we see this platform as a strong example of government and business coming together to exchange ideas and perspectives,” said Jeff Erlich, the executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan.
The launch of the local edition of Turning Points Qazaqstan was highlighted as a strategically significant development for the country’s international positioning.
“Turning Points is an annual project of The New York Times that analyzes key future trends. It is being implemented for the first time in Kazakhstan and across Central Asia. It is important for us to show the world that Kazakhstan is not only a consumer of global trends, but also a source of ideas, expertise and innovation,” said Yulia Boyle, Chair of FIPP and a member of the Advisory Board at Kazmedia Holding.
The digital version of Turning Points Qazaqstan 2026 will be available on The New York Times Licensing platform, providing global access to the publication’s materials and expanding the project’s international audience.
