Timur Turlov: Talent will remain key asset in the age of AI

Talent will remain the primary asset in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), while human value will shift from routine execution to creativity. Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov shared this perspective with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and participants in a plenary session on the future of filmmaking at the Digital Bridge forum in Astana on Oct. 2.

According to Turlov, hosting an AI film festival is a bold move that could help set standards for this emerging industry as it takes shape.

«Astana has hosted dozens of technology events, but today’s event is truly unique because it brings technology and culture together — a combination we still don’t see very often,» he said.

The creative economy has already become a significant driver of economic growth, Turlov said, pointing to Freedom Media as an example. Just one year after its launch, the platform has demonstrated strong demand for local content.

«In just a year, we have launched dozens of original projects, and today, Kazakhstani content accounts for nearly 80% of all views on the platform, including content in the Kazakh language,» Turlov said.

He said Freedom Media aims to create original content in collaboration with Kazakhstani creators. Turlov highlighted the «Qara Dombyra» project as a success story. The animated universe draws on Kazakh mythology and seven traditional national musical instruments.

Discussing generative AI, Turlov expressed confidence that AI would not be able to replace humans in creative professions fully.

«Technology will increasingly take over routine tasks, while the value people bring will shift from simply executing tasks to generating original ideas. That is precisely why talent will remain our most important asset, and investing in young creators must become a priority for both government and business,» Turlov emphasized.

He also said that a unique set of conditions for success has emerged in Kazakhstan. The state is establishing the legal and financial framework, while businesses see significant opportunities as a new generation of young people fluent in AI tools emerges.

Freedom Holding Corp. is an international financial group incorporated in Nevada, United States. The group is headquartered in Almaty, and Kazakhstan remains its primary market. It operates businesses in brokerage, banking, insurance and payments. Freedom Holding Corp. is listed on Nasdaq (FRHC), KASE and AIX.

The company is also developing telecommunications, data centers, cloud services, and payment and lifestyle projects in Kazakhstan. As of September 2026, the Freedom SuperApp user base had grown to 6 million.

Freedom Telecom has become one of the group’s key business areas. The company is building fiber-optic networks, base stations, public Wi-Fi and its own network of data centers. As of September 2026, the group had invested more than $300 million in telecommunications infrastructure. Turlov expects telecommunications to eventually become the group’s fourth major revenue source, alongside its brokerage, banking and insurance businesses.

Another area of the group’s business focuses on computing and AI infrastructure. In 2025, Freedom Holding, NVIDIA and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of AI and Digital Development agreed to establish a sovereign AI center with a capacity of 100 megawatts and a value of $2 billion. In July 2026, Freedom Holding, Citi and the ministry signed a memorandum to create a major AI cluster featuring GPU infrastructure for the government, businesses and the scientific community.

On Sept. 26, shortly before the Digital Bridge forum, Turlov was elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) at the organization’s General Assembly in Samarkand. In the second round of voting, the Freedom Holding Corp. CEO secured 110 out of 196 votes. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand was elected alongside him as FIDE deputy president.