Kazakhstan Signs Landmark AI Law Incorporating EDF Recommendations

Kazakhstan’s President has officially signed the country’s first Law on Artificial Intelligence, establishing a legal framework that defines AI technologies and regulates their development, deployment, and use across society.

For the first time, AI systems are legally recognized as informatics objects and as tools that help humans achieve specific goals. The law introduces core principles for AI governance, including accountability, transparency, and human-centricity.

Responsibility and oversight are now codified:

• Owners, developers, and users of AI products are held accountable based on their role in system operation.

• Product owners are responsible for managing risks, ensuring safety, and bearing liability for development outcomes.

The law also enshrines principles of legality, fairness, equality, explainability, and data protection, emphasizing human well-being and autonomy in decision-making.

AI-generated products must carry clear labeling, and the law lays the groundwork for a National AI Platform — a testbed for developing and training AI models and software under controlled conditions.

A companion law aligns existing legislation with the new AI framework, regulates unbacked digital assets, and introduces time limits for personal data consent. Individuals or their legal representatives may withdraw consent at any time.

Recommendations from the Eurasian Digital Foundation (EDF) are reflected in the law, including:

• Prohibiting AI systems that use subconscious manipulation, biometric analysis without consent, or mass facial recognition in public spaces.

This legislation positions Kazakhstan as a regional leader in ethical AI development and digital rights protection.