What was discussed at the CIO Summit in Almaty: AI agents, transformation, and trust

On June 12, the annual CIO Summit — CIO Summit 2025 — took place in Almaty. The event was organized by the professional event agency Apple Events Group with strategic support from the Community of Kazakh IT Managers, the international analytics company IDC, the International CIO Academy, and leading technology companies: Freedom Holding Corp., Dell Technologies in partnership with distributor SDC, Noventiq in partnership with Microsoft and Lenovo, Nutanix, Yandex Cloud in Kazakhstan, Commvault, Alinom, and Severcore.

The CIO Summit has established itself as an authoritative platform for the professional community, bringing together CIOs, top managers, industry experts, and technology partners who shape the digital agenda of Kazakhstani business.

The central theme of this year’s summit focused on digital leadership and the implementation of strategic innovations as a response to the challenges posed by a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The business program of CIO Summit 2025 was structured around four key thematic sessions featuring presentations, practical case studies, and panel discussions:

— Digital leadership in the AI era: strategy, partnership, transformation
— Strategic technologies and innovations for ensuring digital leadership
— Cybersecurity and data protection
— Future CIO: who and how prepares the future leaders of the digital age.

Special attention in the summit’s business program was given to the topic of Agentic AI and its role in transforming private and public organizations.

Key challenges highlighted included increased responsibility, risks of bias, and the need for ethical oversight. By 2030, the expected economic impact of AI implementation in the EMEA region could reach $5 trillion.

78% of organizations believe that generative AI will have a significant impact within the next 18 months, and CIOs are currently at the center of digital transformation, responsible not only for technology but also for building trust, training personnel, and ensuring the resilience of IT ecosystems.

During the summit, technology partners presented on strategic technologies necessary for companies to achieve digital leadership, while CIOs from business shared cases of successful implementation of such solutions.