Kazakhstan

CONNECTED – THE CONFERENCE ON CONCEPTUALIZING THE FUTURE, BROUGHT TOGETHER OVER 2000 PARTICIPANTS FROM 27 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE

Leading futurists and world-class experts discussed a synchronized vision of humanity's future, based on principles of harmony and synergy and taking into account the rapid development of technology, at the CONNECTED conference in Astana. 

The international conference "CONNECTED-2024: Conceptualizing the Vision of the Future", held in Astana on October 18-19, 2024, became a unique platform where globally recognized experts presented their visions for the future of humanity. 

To analyze key challenges and opportunities of the present, the conference united global agents of change – those who believe in the importance of promoting global values and the conscious application of knowledge and expertise. This include individuals, social movements, and organizations whose activities lead to social change and influence individual perceptions of the world. 

According to the data following the event, over 2,000 delegates from 27 countries participated in the conference, including representatives from the USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Finland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, China, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, UAE, South Africa, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. 

Serik Tolukpayev is the general sponsor of the event, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of the AITAS holding, pointed out that each of us is currently going through a stage of uncertainty because the world has changed significantly. 

"The world is torn by major problems, conflicts at the levels of geopolitics, religion, and ideology. The most important question we tried to answer together with the speakers is, what should people do with their ego? I sincerely hope we continue to seek answers to this question. At the very least, we should pave the way for this search.

Our main task is to show the world that there is a community in Kazakhstan that is thinking about the future 20-30 years ahead. This is a very important mission – to understand what world will replace the one we live in today. I firmly believe that the future world should be governed by human values. The new world primarily needs harmony," he stated.

Serik Zhunussov, CEO of Aitas Foundation and founder of CONNECTED, also emphasized: 

"We want to approach the issue of finding solutions to pressing world problems today from a worldview side. In this amazing time of uncertainty, is global synchronization of a shared vision for the future possible? Nature itself has given us the key to the answer. We see this in examples of synchronization – the flickering of fireflies, the synchronized movement of a metronome. They find their rhythm by coming together in harmony. This holds an important truth: global narratives can also come into harmony."

The CONNECTED conference does not limit itself to a single system of values or knowledge; rather, it openly explores the multifaceted world through the lens of various fields, from science and art to philosophy and social sciences. The event was held in an Open Mind format, allowing participants to embrace new ideas, critically reassess their beliefs, and learn from others. 

As the organizers note, this approach enables participants to see the interconnections between different areas of life, fosters creative thinking, and effectively addresses complex problems, as well as strengthens empathy and cooperation in a diverse world. 

"Responsibility towards the world, respect for people, benefits for society, care for the environment, and investment in education and the development of future generations are not just abstract concepts existing in people's minds. For our organizing team, these are a part of our DNA. We strive to prove and demonstrate this both within our country and to the rest of the world. Therefore, during the CONNECTED conference, our goal was to unite talented thinkers from various countries on one platform," emphasized the conference's Co-founder, General Producer, Ruslan Zhemkov. 

One of the headliners of the event was Yuval Noah Harari, a historian, futurist, and bestselling author on the future of humanity. One of the key questions directed at him was what technologies represent in the vision of the future – good or evil, tools for creation or destructive forces. According to him, the danger lies in the possibility that one day Artificial Intelligence may begin to create its own values. 

"For thousands of years, we humans have lived within a human world, where everything around us, from physical artifacts to financial, religious, and political systems, has been a product of human consciousness. Nothing else on Earth could invent such things. But now, Artificial Intelligence can begin to invent new types of values across all spheres — from financial systems to religion. We need to understand now what will happen to governments and human society when people lose control over such essential elements as political or financial systems," Harari noted.

Also among the headliners of the conference was a Swiss futurist, humanist, and author of the book "Technology vs. Humanity" Gerd Leonhard. Leonhard gave a talk to the participants titled "Humans and Machines, Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence: The World by 2030". 

As the speaker noted, AI is broadly applicable technology, much like fire or printing press. It is also a new technological platform that can become either a paradise or a hell, depending on whether these tools will dominate us or whether the human telos (purpose and meaning) will prevail. Gerd Leonhard believes that the more power and capabilities we have, the more wisdom we will need.

"We must embrace new opportunities while protecting and preserving our humanity. We need to redefine values and goals that go beyond increasing efficiency or financial gains. In the coming era of AI, we will be valued not for our ability to manage technologies or become faster with their help, but for our androrhythms – our unique human skills and qualities," emphasized Gerd Leonhard.

The CONNECTED conference also featured prominent speakers, including Nobel laureate in green economy Rae Kwon Chung; President of the Association of Futurists and foresight advisor to the European Commission Tanya Schindler; Professor at the University of Oxford and author of the bestseller "The Silk Road: A New History of the World" Peter Frankopan; Chinese Green Goddess, advocate for green development, CEO of Tornado Leadership Peggy Liu; Professor of AI at Stanford University, creator of AI courses Younes Bensouda Mourri; technology columnist, writer, tech guru, investor, founding UK Editor-in-Chief of WIRED David Rowan; futurist, trend analyst, economist, UNDP futures fellow Bronwyn Williams; Tibetan lama and author Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche; systems thinker and philanthropist Mamadou Kwijim Toure, ranked among the top 10 most influential people in Africa by Forbes; and strategic forecasting expert and keynote speaker on Generation Z at the Whetston analytical centre Jahkini Bisselink, among others.

Additionally, the conference hosted a competition for ambitious EdTech startups from Central Asia and Eastern Europe called Startup Battle. Teams from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Poland, and Georgia participated, with a prize fund of $50,000 equally distributed among five winners. 

In the future, the CONNECTED conference will aim to become a permanent global discussion platform where agents of change from various sectors of society will discuss major global narratives and the challenges they pose. 

The general sponsor of CONNECTED is AITAS – the leading agro-industrial holding in the country. 

The strategic partners of the event include the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.