“We are accountable, they are not”: why Kazakhstan will not have “digital” officials

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan is not considering the introduction of digital vice ministers at this stage, First Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Rostislav Konyashkin has said.

According to him, the key issue is responsibility. Political officials are personally accountable for the decisions they make, while “electronic” officials cannot be held responsible in the same way.

“As political officeholders, we bear a certain level of responsibility for the decisions we make. That is why the appearance of digital vice ministers is not being considered at the moment,” Konyashkin explained.

At the same time, he stressed that the state supports the use of artificial intelligence as an advisory and support tool in decision-making processes.

Konyashkin also pointed out that the way such models are trained is critically important. He said AI becomes far more effective when it is not trained solely on historical data, but operates in constant interaction with humans, receiving feedback on correct and incorrect responses.

“When an AI model gives correct answers in 95–97 percent of cases, then it may be possible to raise the question of transferring some decision-making functions to it. At this stage, we do not have that level,” he said.

The first vice minister added that artificial intelligence in public administration is viewed primarily as a tool to assist humans, not to replace them.

“I hope that in the future we will be able to train personal AI assistants to a level where they truly and significantly make our lives easier,” he concluded.

Context

It is worth recalling that in September 2025, an AI-generated model of a minister made its debut in the parliament of Albania. The initiative was presented by Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Later, Rama was pelted with bottles following the appearance of the first AI minister, named Diella. Albania’s parliament held a much shorter-than-expected session to present the government’s program and vote on confidence in the new cabinet. The session lasted around 24 minutes.

A total of 82 Socialist Party lawmakers voted in favor of the prime minister’s cabinet, after which Speaker Niko Peleshi immediately closed the session. The appearance of Diella, a new virtual AI-based minister, sparked a strong reaction from opposition deputies, who began banging on desks and disrupting proceedings.

Videos later circulated on social media showing the confrontation escalating, with lawmakers throwing bottles and copies of the Constitution at the prime minister and ministers.

Even a five-minute recess failed to calm tensions. The presence of foreign ambassadors in the chamber, who were wearing headphones to follow the debate, did not prevent the scuffles either.