AI hackathon in Astana aims to break Guinness World Record
HackAlem AI is underway in Astana, with participants aiming to break the Guinness World Record for the largest number of participants in an agentic AI hackathon. Guinness World Records adjudicator Glen Pollard spoke about the requirements for setting the record and the prospects for AI development in Kazakhstan, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to Pollard, the current world record was set in India in December 2025, when 2,089 people took part in a similar hackathon. HackAlem AI has a maximum capacity of 2,500 participants, but simply gathering enough people is not sufficient to set a new record.
"On the face of it, they should break the record easily. However, there are certain circumstances when participants may be disqualified," the Guinness World Records adjudicator said.
In particular, participants will be disqualified if they are absent from their workstations for more than 60 minutes in total. They must also actively participate throughout the four-to-five-hour hackathon and remain at their workstations during the final hour of the competition.
Independent witnesses will monitor compliance with the requirements. The final results of the verification process are expected to be announced on September 23 at 6:00 p.m.
The Guinness World Records adjudicator praised the event's organization, noting that the organizers had paid particular attention to infrastructure, technical arrangements and attracting participants. According to Pollard, preparations with the organizers had been underway for approximately two months.
Asked about the prospects for artificial intelligence development in Kazakhstan, the adjudicator highlighted Astana's growing role in the field.
"On the news, we hear about the U.S., about China, and Japan. But I do know that Kazakhstan, and especially here in Astana, then AI is in the growth period. So, I think having a Guinness World Records title associated to the AI hackathon will help to generate both interest and knowledge that Kazakhstan have got an important role to play in the development of AI in the world," he said.
HackAlem AI is taking place in Astana as part of AI Month, with the participation of global technology companies OpenAI and NVIDIA. The hackathon received 6,586 applications and became an official attempt to set a Guinness World Records title in the category of Most Participants in an Agentic AI Hackathon.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will visit Kazakhstan for the first time as a special guest of AI