IT community from Central Asia: AI Community Kyrgyzstan

Timur Turatali, city — Bishkek, co-founder of AI Community Kyrgyzstan, @timur_turat

About the Community

Our community was established in 2019, but it began to develop actively in the last two years, and today we have more than 1,700 members. Our mission is to develop artificial intelligence in Kyrgyzstan, expand the community of AI engineers, and help companies effectively analyze big data and make data-driven decisions.

At the time of its founding, there were almost no specialists in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Data Science in the country. Alongside me, key figures in the establishment of AI Community Kyrgyzstan included Alita Palitaev, Adil Adenov, and Bakbergen Ryskulov, and later they were joined by Ulan Abdurazakov, Rysmenede Kadyrkulov, and Eric Belekov. Our goal was to train such engineers and help businesses implement AI solutions in their processes.

In the early stages of creating the community, the main task was to increase the number of participants, based on the principle that quantity leads to quality. Today, we focus not only on growing the number of participants but also on training specialists capable of developing their own solutions, conducting research, and writing scientific papers.

We have already organized numerous events: meetups, hackathons, and even large international events such as the AIST 2024 scientific conference. In the future, we plan to expand our activities, focusing on research, including areas related to the Kyrgyz language and the application of AI to solve climate-related challenges.

Community Members

We do not have strict target audience boundaries, but according to analytics, we can identify four main groups:

— IT engineers seeking to retrain, such as backend developers and product managers

— students inspired by the AI hype, wanting to try themselves in this field

— foreigners interested in participating in such communities

— AI engineers: specialists in machine learning, Data Science, Data Engineering, analysts, and others.

We have also tried working with school students, but we currently believe that AI is too complex for them due to the high level of mathematics required.

Our community is open: to participate, it is sufficient to join our Telegram group, where you can freely receive information about events and news.

Events for Community Members

AI Community actively organizes various events for participants. We do not adhere to a strict schedule but are guided by the interests of the community. Events are held with varying frequency: sometimes every week, sometimes once a month. Typically, these include:

— meetings and meetups. Discussion of current topics with invited specialists, sharing experience, and answering questions

— breakfasts. Informal morning meetings in cafes for communication, discussing AI, and getting to know participants

— datathons and hackathons. Large-scale events where participants solve real-world problems

— forums and conferences. For example, the recently held scientific forum on artificial intelligence.

All events are free, and winners at hackathons receive cash prizes. The prize fund usually amounts to up to $1,000.

How the Community Helps with Development

We believe that hackathons and meetups are one of the best ways to grow in AI. In the future, we plan to add one-to-one mentoring sessions.

In our Telegram group, participants can already communicate, ask questions, and consult with mentors. We support any initiatives related to AI. Our main goal is to create a self-sufficient community that will develop independently of the presence of founders or administrators. For this, we are putting in maximum effort.

Successful Projects

AI Community actively collaborates with various organizations. We work with both government agencies and universities. For example, hackathons are held at universities in Bishkek, and with government agencies, we collaborate with the High-Tech Park of the Kyrgyz Republic. This collaboration has become the foundation for several successful social projects, such as "Akyly" — an artificial intelligence and voice assistant in the Kyrgyz language.

Another bright example was the organization of the AIST 2024 scientific conference.

Plans

In the coming months, we plan to hold two AI hackathons. For these events, we already have partners, which creates good opportunities for collaboration. We will also organize meetups with well-known speakers and lecturers.

In the long term, we want to actively cooperate with neighboring countries and contribute to the unification of the Central Asian region. One of our global goals is to create a more independent community with a focus on research. We need a stronger scientific base to support current and future projects.

To join the community or suggest ideas, you can contact us through our website AIcommunity.kg or Telegram channel @ai_kgz.