Tokayev, Digitalization Is Not a Choice but a Matter of Life and Death

Introduction

The world is rapidly hardening. While waves of extreme nationalism are fueling inward-looking policies in many countries, global economic inequalities are deepening even further. Some states are making decisive leaps forward through technological revolution, while others are being pushed into irreversible decline. Artificial intelligence is no longer merely a technology; it has become an instrument of power, sovereignty, and survival.
As a country located at the very heart of Eurasia, Kazakhstan cannot remain a passive observer of this transformation. Digitalization is not a “reform agenda item” for Kazakhstan; it is an existential test that will determine the future of the state. Either the country leads in this new era, or it is pushed to the margins of history.

1. The Cost of Delay Is State Weakness

The breathtaking speed of artificial intelligence development has already fundamentally and irreversibly transformed how the world is perceived, particularly by younger generations. Today’s youth are no longer merely consumers of information; they think through algorithms, construct identities via digital platforms, and shape decisions through technology. This transformation is not a temporary trend but the threshold of a new civilizational stage. States that fail to interpret this threshold correctly will lose not only social cohesion but also strategic direction.

For countries caught unprepared, the meaning of the artificial intelligence era is clear: the erosion of decision-making capacity. Dependence on external sources increases across all domains, from economic planning and public administration to security and education systems. States that cannot process their own data, develop their own algorithms, or control their digital infrastructure gradually lose the ability to determine their own destiny. This represents the quiet yet most dangerous form of sovereignty erosion in the modern world.

It is precisely for this reason that Kazakhstan’s objective of becoming a fully digital country within three years is not an ambitious political slogan but a historical necessity imposed by the dynamics of the age. This objective constitutes a strategic line of defense designed to secure the country’s future. When digitalization is postponed, not only opportunities are lost; risks multiply exponentially. Even minimal delays accelerate brain drain, weaken competitiveness, and push the country down the global technological hierarchy.

States that lag behind in digitalization cannot withstand an accelerating world; they are overpowered, externally directed, and transformed into dependent systems. Therefore, for Kazakhstan the issue is not merely investing in technology, but rebuilding state reflexes, institutions, and mindsets in line with the requirements of the artificial intelligence era. Failure to do so would result in the loss not only of time, but of the country’s future strategic maneuvering space.

2. Digitalization Is Impossible Without Reconstructing the State

Entering a new technological order with outdated state reflexes is impossible; this is the most common and most costly mistake of the digital age. States governed by cumbersome bureaucracies, slow decision-making mechanisms, and fragmented authority structures do not merely fall behind in the artificial intelligence era—they become dysfunctional. For this reason, public administration must be rebuilt not through cosmetic adjustments but through comprehensive and structural transformation. Digital transformation cannot be reduced to a handful of software projects or e-government services; it entails a complete change in how the state operates.

If transparency, efficiency, and human-centered governance remain at the level of rhetoric, digitalization inevitably turns into a façade. A state that is digitally advanced on paper but operates with analog reflexes in practice loses both public trust and competitive capacity. In the age of artificial intelligence, trust, speed, and accountability are not luxuries but mandatory principles of governance. Countries unable to implement these principles in practice become actors managed by technology rather than those who manage it.

For this reason, a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development must be established; however, this step must not be symbolic, but grounded in strong political authority. Leadership of this ministry at the level of Deputy Prime Minister would clearly demonstrate that digital transformation is not a secondary policy area, but a central strategic priority of the state. Otherwise, inter-agency rivalries, jurisdictional confusion, and bureaucratic resistance will paralyze the process before it truly begins.

At this stage, the government’s task is unequivocal: to ensure the full-scale and mandatory integration of artificial intelligence across all sectors of the economy. Industry, agriculture, finance, logistics, energy, and public services cannot be excluded from this transformation. Advancing through voluntary, fragmented, or pilot-based initiatives in this era amounts to strategic naïveté. Partial solutions, delayed decisions, and low implementation speed represent not merely lost opportunities, but outright defeat.

3. Seven Vital Priorities: Either Implemented or the Future Is Lost

Kazakhstan’s competitiveness can no longer be sustained through slogans alone. The seven critical priorities that form the backbone of this transformation cannot be postponed:

1. Attracting large-scale investments: global capital is ruthless; it does not enter countries that fail to inspire confidence.

2. A breakthrough in manufacturing: an economy dependent on raw materials is no longer sustainable.

3. Elevating agriculture to a new level: agriculture without technological support generates poverty.

4. Strengthening transport and logistics: this is not merely an economic issue, but a matter of geopolitical power.

5. Modernizing housing, public utilities, and water infrastructure: sustainable development begins here.

6. Positioning entrepreneurs as the driving force of digital transformation: the state sets direction, innovation is delivered by entrepreneurs.

7. Rebuilding human capital: the digital economy demands new skills; transformation without education leads to collapse.

These seven priorities are not optional policy choices; they are conditions for the survival of the state.

Conclusion

The world does not wait. In the era of artificial intelligence, countries that hesitate, avoid decisive action, and postpone change rapidly turn into dependent systems that rely on foreign technologies. This dependency is not confined to the economy; it weakens all state reflexes, from security and governance to education and defense. A country that cannot produce its own algorithms, manage its own data, or control its digital infrastructure ultimately loses the ability to shape its own future. For Kazakhstan, such a scenario is unacceptable.

Therefore, reforms cannot be postponed, softened, or diluted. Digital transformation is not a policy domain open to compromise; it is a national mobilization requiring determination and discipline. Every delay works in favor of competitors; every half-measure pushes the country further down the ladder of global competition. In this era, retreating from reform is equivalent to deliberate weakening.

Digitalization is not a “development project” for Kazakhstan. It is a matter of life and death. The issue is not faster growth, but survival, the preservation of sovereignty, and the safeguarding of the future. In the age of artificial intelligence, strong states are those that control technology; weak states become actors controlled by it. Kazakhstan’s objective must be unequivocally the former.

Success is not optional, because there is no alternative. There is no path backward and no luxury of waiting. The cost of decisions not taken today multiplies tomorrow. Thus, the issue is not merely today’s economic indicators or political context, but the country’s long-term future, societal stability, and the fate of its people. Kazakhstan cannot hesitate at this historical crossroads. Either a bold and decisive digital leap is made, or history will not forgive the hesitation.

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