Visually-Impaired Version 
Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU) held the official opening of a new educational programme in artificial intelligence — AI + X. The initiative was launched as part of the Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, declared by the Head of State.
The launch ceremony was attended by Kuanyshbek Yeskeyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Talgat Narikbayev, Chairman of the MNU Board, and Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the event, participants were introduced to the programme’s curriculum and approaches to organising the educational process. A meeting with students was also held.
The bachelor’s degree programme Artificial Intelligence and Frontier Systems: AI + X covers intelligent systems engineering, fundamental knowledge and practical skills in programming, data analysis, machine and deep learning, as well as the design and implementation of AI systems.
A key feature of the programme is the AI + X model, which allows students to choose one of several fields — law, economics, journalism, or linguistics — and gain in-depth knowledge in their chosen field alongside expertise in artificial intelligence. The programme is implemented jointly with Seoul Cyber University and Kazakhstani companies Shai.pro and Alpha.Tech.Edu.
Participants of the event were also presented with MNU’s AI projects. The university has developed its own CRM system for the Admissions Committee and launched the MNU HUB mobile application, which integrates everyday university services for students and faculty. The university has also introduced smart video surveillance and AI-powered language translation systems for events, as well as an AI avatar that serves as an assistant in the academic process. In addition, the event showcased the use of supercomputers for local AI tasks and the Legal Graph project aimed at advancing the digitalisation of the legal sector.
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek congratulated the students of the new programme and emphasised that MNU was the first university to implement the AI + X model in the right direction. The programme is delivered in English, and students have the opportunity to obtain a second degree from the partner university, Seoul Cyber University. To further enhance the quality of the educational process, MNU has also renovated its classrooms, equipping them with coworking areas, modern technology, and comfortable furniture.
The first cohort of the AI + X programme consists of approximately 70 students. MNU has also launched a specialised AI Law master’s degree programme jointly with the China University of Political Science and Law.
