Kazakhstan’s drive to become a regional leader in artificial intelligence is facing scrutiny over the business interests of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s great-nephew. An investigation by Radio Azattyq found that two universities founded by 23-year-old Nurassyl Medeu have received significant state support, including investments from government-owned companies and access to publicly funded facilities. The arrangements have raised questions about transparency, potential conflicts of interest, and whether political connections may have helped accelerate the entrepreneur’s rise.
An ambitious AI agenda
Tokayev has made artificial intelligence central to Kazakhstan’s modernization strategy, declaring 2026 the “year of artificial intelligence.” In September 2025, he established a dedicated Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and subsequently announced plans for an AI research university that would receive “special status.”
That initiative became Qazaq AI Research University (QAIRU), a private institution founded by Medeu in April 2026. The university began classes last month, welcoming approximately 400 undergraduate students and 100 master’s students, according to local media. It describes itself as Central Asia’s first AI-enabled university.
Medeu is the grandson of Tokayev’s younger sister, Karlyga Izbastina. Forbes Kazakhstan included Izbastina among the country’s 25 most influential women in 2024, citing her presidential connections and reported corporate holdings. Medeu’s mother, Dana Medeuova, has also entered parliament as a representative of Adilet, the pro-Tokayev ruling party.
These family connections do not establish wrongdoing. However, the combination of political ties, private business ownership, and state involvement in Medeu’s ventures has intensified questions about how the institutions secured public resources.
State investment in the AI University
Shortly after QAIRU was established, QazExpoCongress, a state-owned company operating Kazakhstan’s former EXPO exhibition site, acquired a 5 percent stake in the university, according to the investigation and the company’s statement to reporters.
The institution was located in an eight-story spherical building originally constructed for EXPO 2017 in the capital, Astana. The site is now being developed into an artificial intelligence hub known as the Exponential Cluster.
QazExpoCongress said the university’s presence reflected its integration into the planned technology ecosystem and alignment with the cluster’s strategic priorities. The partnership places a privately established university within a prominent, government-backed innovation project.
Tokayev has publicly endorsed the initiative. During a visit to the AI hub, he received a presentation about the university’s plans. Photographs published by the presidential administration showed Medeu alongside Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, who also serves as minister of artificial intelligence and digital development.
On October 2, Tokayev again highlighted QAIRU at a technology conference, saying Kazakhstan needed a national scientific and engineering school capable of training highly qualified, innovative professionals. He assigned the newly opened university a “special role” in achieving that objective.
The president’s support reflects the institution’s importance to national policy. Nevertheless, the state’s minority investment and provision of a prominent location raise questions about the partnership’s terms and whether comparable opportunities are available to other educational institutions.
A sports academy becomes a university
QAIRU is not Medeu’s first education venture. In 2021, when he was 18 and studying at Boston University, according to his LinkedIn profile, he founded the Academy of Physical Education and Mass Sports in Astana.
Medeu remained its sole owner for several years. In August 2025, KazSportInvest, a state-owned entity established to develop Kazakhstan’s sports industry, acquired a 5 percent stake, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
The academy was subsequently renamed the Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS) and moved into a state-owned sports complex in April 2026.
The complex reportedly cost more than $250 million, with public procurement records showing that more than $250 million was allocated from the state budget for construction. The site covers approximately 220,000 square meters of buildings and sports facilities across 20.6 hectares.
The project predates Medeu’s university. According to Orda.kz, construction began in 2010 with the intention of creating Olympic training facilities. Work stopped in 2015 before resuming in 2018, when the project was redirected toward a national sports university.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry told reporters that KNUS operates the complex under a “trust management agreement.”
Medeu has argued that the campus remains state property and is not owned by the university or its founders. In an interview with EU Reporter, he said the institution uses the facility under a contractual agreement that prohibits privatization or transferring the property into private ownership.
The distinction between owning a university and managing public infrastructure is significant. However, the agreement’s terms, the selection process, and the safeguards protecting public assets remain important questions for assessing the arrangement’s transparency.
Medeu denies receiving special privileges
Medeu has rejected suggestions that his relationship with Tokayev helped him secure preferential treatment. Speaking to state-run Qazsport television this month, he said he wanted to counter social media rumors alleging that his family connection had given him special privileges.
He argued that establishing a university and obtaining an operating license were ordinary business activities. The presidential administration referred questions about the institutions to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The ministry said licensing decisions were based on educational criteria rather than ownership structures. However, it did not directly address questions about state-company investments or the universities’ use of public facilities.
Transparency remains the central issue
Kazakhstan’s investment in AI education could help develop technical expertise, strengthen research, and support economic modernization. Yet the success of the strategy will depend partly on public confidence in how its projects are selected, financed, and managed.
The available reporting does not establish that Medeu or the universities violated the law. It does, however, highlight unresolved questions about state investments, public procurement, and access to government-owned infrastructure involving a presidential relative.
For Tokayev’s administration, transparent contracts, clear ownership disclosures, and independent oversight would help demonstrate that the country’s technology ambitions operate under consistent rules.
As Kazakhstan seeks to establish itself as a Central Asian AI hub, its credibility will depend not only on technological achievements but also on whether public resources are managed fairly and accountability.
Suraiyya Aziz specializes on topics related to the Middle East and the Arab world.