Kazakhstan’s HackAlem AI received a Guinness World Records certificate at the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana on 2 October. Official adjudicator Glenn Pollard presented the certificate to Jaslan Madiyev, deputy prime minister and minister of artificial intelligence and digital development. The ministry said the recognized category was the largest artificial intelligence hackathon by number of participants. The ceremony followed the event and verification of attendance. The official announcement does not state HackAlem AI’s final participant total, so this report does not supply one. It says the event surpassed the previous record and that the certificate was presented during the forum.

The ministry identified the previous benchmark as a hackathon held in Hyderabad, India, on 21 December 2025. Organized by Google for Developers and Google Developer Groups Hyderabad, that event brought together 2,089 participants. The ministry says HackAlem AI exceeded it but provides no numerical total for the new event. Under the Guinness verification process, participants were registered and identified; entries and exits were logged by scanning individual badges; and stewards monitored compliance in each sector. Only people who met the rules and worked directly on projects during the hackathon were included in the final count. The controls distinguish verified participants from applications, visitors, or people who did not meet the stated criteria.

Participants developed projects across ten areas: energy, finance, public administration, telecommunications, logistics, creative industries, education, innovation, communications, and trade. Madiyev said teams tackled real economic challenges with advanced technology and that organizers wanted projects to move from ideas and prototypes toward piloting and implementation. Those comments state an ambition; the release does not confirm that a particular project became a product or entered operational use. Astana Hub chief executive Magzhan Madiyev also emphasized access to global technology, knowledge, and partnerships so teams could seek to turn ideas into competitive products and reach international markets.

HackAlem AI opened AI Month, a programme supported by Astana Hub during Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. The ministries responsible for AI and higher education, Astana’s administration, Astana Hub, and technology organizations were listed among organizers and partners, while companies and financial institutions appeared among sponsors. The certificate was presented during The New Economy: Powered by AI, a session on infrastructure, investment, human capital, and international partnerships. The ministry’s 2 October announcement is the primary source for this report. It confirms the record and describes its counting controls and project fields, but it does not provide a nationwide measure of productivity, investment, or commercial outcomes.