The conference on envisioning the future of Connected brought together over 2,000 participants from 27 countries around the world.

A synchronized image of humanity's future, based on principles of harmony and synergy and taking into account the rapid development of technology, was discussed by leading futurists and world-class experts at the Connected conference in Astana.
The international conference "Connected-2024: Making Sense of the Future Image," held in Astana on October 18-19, 2024, became a unique platform where world-renowned experts presented their vision of the future of all humanity.

The conference brought together global change agents — those who believe in the importance of promoting global values, as well as the conscious application of knowledge and expertise. These are people, social movements, and organizations whose activities lead to social changes and influence the worldview of individuals.
Over 2,000 delegates from 27 countries participated in the conference: the USA, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Finland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, China, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, the UAE, South Africa, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.

The event was held in the Open Mind format. Conference participants had the opportunity to embrace new ideas, critically review their beliefs, and learn from others.

Among the conference speakers were also such outstanding experts as: Nobel laureate in green economics Rae Kwon Chung, President of the Association of Futurologists and foresight advisor to the European Commission Tanya Schindler, Oxford University professor and author of the bestseller "The Silk Road: A New World History" Peter Frankopan, "Green Goddess of China" and green development advocate Peggy Liu, Stanford University professor and author of AI courses Younes Bensouda Mourri, best-selling author and first editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine David Rowan, and others.

One of the headliners of the event was Yuval Noah Harari — historian, futurist, and author of bestsellers about the future of humanity. Also among the conference headliners was Swiss futurist, humanist, and author of the book "Technology vs. Human" Gerd Leonhard. Leonhard presented a presentation to participants on the topic "People and Machines, Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence: The World by 2030."

In addition, as part of the conference, a competition among ambitious EdTech startups from Central Asia and Eastern Europe — Startup Battle — took place. Teams from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Poland, and Georgia participated. The prize fund of the competition amounted to $50,000, which were equally distributed among five winners.

Going forward, the Connected conference is intended to become a permanent global discussion platform where change agents from various spheres of society will discuss the most important global narratives and the challenges they generate.