The international forum Business Technology Expo 2026, dedicated to business automation and digitalization is taking place from May 13 to 15 at the EXPO International Exhibition Center in Astana.
Organizers describe the forum as a platform where companies present technologies for management, automation, increasing operational efficiency, and scaling businesses, El.kz reports.
This year, the forum’s business program covers several areas: AI for business, Data Science and Agentic AI, digital transformation, marketing, HR tech, and business process automation. Key topics include the use of AI in management, finance, sales, and operations; the implementation of hybrid architectures for AI solutions; and work with data, cloud services, marketing personalization, and human resource risks.
One of the central sessions on the first day was the conference "AI for Business: Strategy, Technologies, Results," which focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping management, sales, and operational efficiency in 2026.
The forum is held against the backdrop of growing interest from Kazakhstani businesses in the practical implementation of digital tools.
According to organizers and industry platforms, dozens of speakers and companies from various countries are expected at the exhibition, presenting solutions in AI, cloud technologies, data analytics, fintech, sales automation, and business process optimization.
Aina Zadabek, Chairperson of the Board of Qazcontent dedicated her speech to one of the most sensitive topics for the modern media: the spread of fakes and the role of AI in fact-checking. Qazcontent Chairperson said that newsrooms today operate in conditions where the speed and reliability of publication are primary competitive advantages. A story can spread across social media faster than a journalist or editor can verify the original source.
The speaker noted that disinformation has long ceased to be just a media problem. It has become a global risk, used during political conflicts, natural disasters, and crises to influence human behavior and public trust. Therefore, for information companies, data verification is no longer just a technical option but a security element.
"Experts estimate that this level will increase every year. Even during natural disasters and global political clashes, disinformation is used everywhere as a weapon."
Aina Zadabek emphasized that AI for media is not just a source of threats but also a working tool. It allows for faster writing, processing large amounts of information, translating, adapting materials, and creating visual content. However, as these tools become more accessible, it becomes harder for the audience to distinguish a real message from a generated one.
"At Qazcontent, since 2024, we have been implementing a range of AI tools that allow us to create content faster and with higher quality, conduct fact-checking, and develop creative formats to attract audience attention and compete in the market."
The implementation of AI in Qazcontent projects has significantly optimized business processes and costs in several areas, increasing the volume of creative content with less time and financial expenditure, the head of the media company noted.
As a practical example, Zadabek cited the portal E-History.kz, which houses thousands of materials, including PDF documents. After the editorial office began using AI for text, photo, and video content, the volume of publications increased, despite the team consisting of only five people. Furthermore, it was crucial for the company not just to increase volume but to retain the audience and increase reader engagement - goals that were successfully achieved.
Inside Qazcontent, they began analyzing editorial chains: from information gathering and material preparation to publishing and editing. This approach allowed them to determine where AI can truly speed up work and where decisions must remain with humans. This is especially important for news materials, where an error can damage the reputation of the entire newsroom.
Regarding the fight against fakes, the speaker noted that the skill of verifying sources remains key. Even if a person uses ChatGPT or other AI services, they must understand the origin of the information, who benefits from it, and whether it can be trusted. As an example, Aina Zadabek shared how the E-History.kz team works with students and history teachers, demonstrating source-work methods, data verification, and other critical analysis skills.
Expert Ivan Pivovarov spoke about the impact of AI on IT infrastructure. According to him, business already lives in an environment where digital services are part of everyday processes from electronic queues to managing industrial equipment. Because of this, the load on IT infrastructure is growing faster than companies can rebuild their internal systems.
"All industries are subject to digital transformation. And over the past year, it has been accelerating at an incredible speed. All of this creates complexity, growth in scale, growth in the number of end-users, and growth in devices at enterprises."
The speaker noted that the number of connected devices worldwide is already measured in the tens of billions. This includes not only smartphones and computers but also corporate devices, factory equipment, and city infrastructure elements. In such conditions, manual network management is becoming increasingly ineffective: the system is too large, fluid, and dependent on stable connectivity.
"In 2024, the number of connected devices in the global network was around 34–35 bln worldwide. It is no longer feasible to manage this manually. We need to apply a new approach, using artificial intelligence to manage this entire "estate".
Pivovarov specifically addressed the talent shortage. According to him, even if a company is ready to invest in new technologies, it often lacks the specialists who can implement and maintain AI-based solutions. This turns digitalization into not only a technological challenge but a managerial one.
"According to the latest estimates, 60% of companies say they have a staffing problem. They simply cannot find the people who can build and implement AI today."
Another barrier is related to security. The more data a business collects and processes, the higher the requirements for information protection, access control, and system resilience. For companies, this is particularly sensitive because AI implementation almost always involves personal data, corporate information, and mission-critical processes.
Furthermore, the mere fact of investing in AI does not guarantee results. Pivovarov cited statistics showing that most companies face difficulties after purchasing software and infrastructure. The main problem, he says, is that businesses often try to build AI solutions on an unprepared foundation.
"74% of companies experience difficulties. Imagine three out of four companies that invested in AI, bought huge resources, and purchased a massive amount of software, cannot gain the effect and value from AI implementation."
Among the reasons, the speaker named poor data quality, fragmented internal systems, and weak integration between departments. In companies, data may be stored in different circuits, processed under different rules, and not fed into a unified system. As a result, the AI does not receive a complete picture and therefore cannot provide accurate and useful insights.
"The foundation of AI is the data it learns from, uses, processes, and analyzes. This data is often of very low quality. Different departments have different management systems, data collection, and processing systems.