For much of the past two decades, digital government has largely been defined by the objective to move public services online. Around the world, governments have invested heavily in digital portals, electronic identification systems and mobile applications designed to reduce bureaucracy, improve efficiency and make interactions with the state more convenient.
That transformation is now well underway in many countries. The next challenge is different. Once services become digital, how can governments use technology not only to improve efficiency, but also to become more transparent, responsive and accountable?
Kazakhstan’s newly released Annual Report on the State of Access to Information offers an interesting perspective on how that next stage of digital government may evolve. Rather than focusing solely on expanding digital services, the report highlights an emerging effort to use digital technologies to measure how government itself performs, how effectively institutions engage with citizens, and whether openness can be assessed using objective data rather than perception alone.
This represents a shift in emphasis. Digital government is gradually becoming digital accountability.
One of the report’s most notable developments is the introduction of a new Open Government Index, replacing the previous operational evaluation system used to assess government bodies. Unlike traditional administrative reviews, the new index draws on measurable digital indicators across four areas: compliance with administrative procedures, open government practices, public feedback and internal oversight. Rather than relying on broad qualitative assessments, it incorporates data from citizen requests, the quality of responses submitted through the e-Ötinish platform, publication of open data and disciplinary practices.
That distinction matters. Across much of the world, government transparency is typically discussed in terms of legislation, freedom of information laws or international rankings. Kazakhstan’s approach suggests another possibility: using operational digital data generated through everyday interactions between citizens and government to assess institutional performance continuously rather than periodically.
The report also illustrates the scale at which these systems now operate. During 2025, government institutions received more than 593,000 information requests, with over 406,000 directed to central government bodies and a further 186,000 submitted to local executive authorities. Such volumes create a substantial body of digital evidence that can be analysed to identify bottlenecks, measure responsiveness and improve administrative performance over time.
Importantly, the report acknowledges cases where information was unlawfully withheld, resulting in administrative proceedings and financial penalties, while recommending stronger internal controls to improve the completeness and timeliness of responses. The willingness to identify shortcomings is arguably as significant as highlighting progress. Any system intended to strengthen accountability ultimately depends on its ability to expose weaknesses rather than simply celebrate successes.
Another noteworthy development is the creation of a Unified Knowledge Base within the e-Ötinish information system (Kazakhstan’s unified online platform for citizen requests and communication with government agencies). Initially designed as a central repository providing consistent and accessible answers to citizens’ questions, the platform is intended to become the foundation for future digital consultation services and AI-powered assistance.
Artificial intelligence is often discussed in terms of large language models, generative AI or commercial applications. Yet one of its most immediate impacts may emerge in public administration. If implemented carefully, AI has the potential to improve the consistency of government responses, reduce waiting times and make complex administrative procedures easier for citizens to navigate. Rather than replacing public officials, such systems are more likely to augment existing public services by handling routine enquiries while allowing officials to focus on more complex cases.
Seen in isolation, these initiatives might appear to be incremental administrative reforms. Viewed alongside Kazakhstan’s wider digital agenda, however, they reveal a more coherent trajectory.
Over the past year, Kazakhstan has significantly expanded its digital ambitions. The launch of the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Centre, investment in national AI computing infrastructure, plans to integrate AI into secondary education and growing efforts to apply artificial intelligence across sectors such as transport, energy and public administration all point towards a broader national strategy. Rather than treating digital government, AI policy and innovation as separate agendas, Kazakhstan appears to be linking them into a single digital transformation programme.
What makes the latest report particularly interesting is that it demonstrates how these strands are beginning to converge. Investment in AI and digital infrastructure is being connected to the quality of governance itself. Digital platforms generate data. That data informs performance measurement. Performance measurement strengthens accountability. AI can then help citizens navigate these digital systems more effectively.
This progression suggests that Kazakhstan’s digital transformation is entering a new phase. The first generation focused primarily on digitising public services. The current phase is concerned with using digital technologies to improve the functioning of government itself.
There are, of course, important challenges ahead. Measuring openness through digital indicators is more sophisticated than measuring administrative activity, but it is not without limitations. Quantitative metrics cannot always capture the quality of engagement between citizens and public institutions, and any performance index requires continuous refinement to ensure it measures outcomes rather than simply encouraging compliance with measurable targets. Likewise, expanding the role of AI within public administration will require attention to transparency, data protection and public trust.
The report itself recognises many of these next steps, recommending the formal institutionalisation of the Open Government Index, clarification of the legal status of the Unified Knowledge Base and stronger requirements for proactive publication of high-demand public information.
Nevertheless, the broader direction is noteworthy. Around the world, governments are asking how digital technologies can make public administration more efficient. Kazakhstan is beginning to ask a more demanding question: can digital technologies also make government more open, more measurable and ultimately more accountable?
That is a considerably more ambitious objective. Whether Kazakhstan fully succeeds will depend on implementation over the coming years. But as digital government enters its next stage globally, the country’s latest reforms offer an interesting case study in how technology can be applied not only to modernise public services, but also to strengthen the relationship between citizens and the state.
