Original Coverage & Source Attribution: timesca.com
Kazakhstan’s government, employers, and trade unions signed a declaration on October 7 calling for human oversight of artificial intelligence in the workplace. The declaration was adopted in Astana at the international forum “Digital Labor and Artificial Intelligence.” It states that decisions affecting workers’ rights and interests should involve a human decision-maker rather than be left entirely to AI.
Federation of Trade Unions chairman Satybaldy Dauletalin said employers should remain accountable for decisions made using algorithms. Workers should be able to challenge those decisions and request human review, he said.
The federation said the signatories agreed to establish a national forum for cooperation on digital labor and AI. Working groups and a monitoring system would support implementation.
Some protections already exist under Kazakh law. The country’s AI legislation, which took effect in January 2026, establishes requirements for transparency and human autonomy in AI systems. The Digital Code, effective since July, also gives people the right, under certain conditions, to seek explanations of fully automated decisions and request human review when those decisions affect their rights.
The European Union’s 2024 Platform Work Directive sets specific requirements for algorithmic management on digital labor platforms. It requires human oversight of automated systems, including human decisions on the dismissal or suspension of workers. Member states have until December 2026 to implement the directive.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is already using AI in its public employment services. In the Mangystau and Pavlodar regions, an automated job-matching system sent approximately 59,000 personalized vacancy notifications over two months. Deputy Labor Minister Bakhtiyar Zhazykpayev said about 3,000 people had found employment. Those figures alone do not establish how many found work directly because of the system.
The federation’s published account does not explain whether the declaration creates additional enforceable obligations for employers or a new complaints procedure for workers.
