"I see AI as Augmented Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence. " —An Interview with Mr. Inanç Çakiroğlu, CIO of VEON Group

In an era where connectivity meets intelligence, Mr. Inanç Çakiroğlu, VEON Group CIO, explains how Augmented Intelligence is transforming telecoms from traditional networks into digital experience creators. VEON is a global digital operator providing connectivity and digital services across dynamic frontier markets.

As CIO with two decades of experience, how do you see the role of AI in reshaping the telecom industry, and how have you leveraged your rich and diverse expertise to align VEON’s growth with these changes?

AI is not just transforming telecom it is redefining what our industry truly is. For many years, we called ourselves “telecom operators,” but that definition no longer fits. Our mission today goes far beyond connecting people through voice or data. We have transitioned into digital experience providers, shaping how people live, work, learn, and interact.

In this transformation, I see AI as Augmented Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence. AI’s role is to enhance human potential, not to replace it. At VEON, we use it to empower people—our customers, our employees, and our partners—with deeper insights, faster decisions, and more personalized digital experiences.

Over my two decades in technology and operations, I’ve learned that innovation only creates value when it’s tied to real-life needs. That’s why we integrate AI across our networks to make them more efficient, resilient, and sustainable—from predictive maintenance and traffic optimization to smarter energy management. At the same time, we apply AI to enrich our digital services: finance, education, entertainment, and health—all designed with local context in mind.

Importantly, VEON’s approach to AI is inclusive by design. We build AI solutions that reflect the diversity of the people we serve, ensuring linguistic, cultural, and social relevance in every market. From developing local-language large language models to creating AI tutors for education and enterprise assistants for productivity, our goal is to make AI accessible, trusted, and beneficial to all—truly driving digital inclusion and human progress.

VEON unveiled its AI1440 strategy last year, following its DO1440 strategy. What’s behind this shift, and how important is the new strategy?

The shift from DO1440 to AI1440 marks a natural evolution in VEON’s journey—from enabling digital lifestyles to empowering intelligent ones. DO1440 was about helping our customers live their day in a digital ecosystem—1,440 minutes of connection, convenience, and choice. AI1440 takes that

same philosophy and infuses it with intelligence—ensuring that every one of those minutes becomes more personalized, efficient, and meaningful through data and automation.

At its core, AI1440 is not a change of direction, but an acceleration. It’s about transforming how our networks, our people, and our services think and respond. We are building systems that learn, adapt, and anticipate—turning data into actionable insights, and insights into better experiences. Whether it’s predicting network congestion before it happens or tailoring content recommendations in real time, AI1440 is about creating a living, breathing digital ecosystem that continuously improves itself.

The importance of this shift lies in how it reshapes the relationship between technology and people. It’s not about machines taking decisions—it’s about augmenting human decision-making at every level, from our engineers in the field to our customers on their smartphones. That’s why we call it Augmented Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence.

AI1440 prepares VEON for the next decade—where every interaction is intelligent and every customer feels that technology works for them, not the other way around.

What challenges have you encountered in implementing the AI1440 strategy?

AI1440 changes the very definition of what we do. It’s no longer just about connecting people but creating intelligent experiences that adapt in real time. This requires rethinking our business from the inside out—from systems to culture.

Another challenge lies in integration. AI doesn’t live in isolation; it must work seamlessly across the network, IT, and customer platforms. We’ve had to modernize legacy systems, build cloud-native architectures, and make our data flows more dynamic and secure.

Then, there’s the human element, which is perhaps the most important. AI is powerful, but it doesn’t replace human creativity or intuition—it amplifies them. The real task is to make our teams see AI as a partner, not a competitor. We’re investing heavily in upskilling, because as I often say, it’s not AI that will replace people—it’s people who know how to use AI who will lead the future.

Finally, operating across diverse markets adds another layer of complexity. Each country has its own regulatory, linguistic, and social context. We are ensuring that our AI solutions—such as localized language models—respect cultural nuances and promote inclusion rather than uniformity.

So yes, the challenges are many—technological, organizational, and cultural—but they are the same challenges that make the AI1440 strategy meaningful. They push us to evolve from a traditional telco into a truly digital, intelligent operator.

Given the importance of AI in telecoms, how can telcos strengthen their networks to support AI capabilities and build a resilient infrastructure? What steps has VEON taken in this direction? Also, how can telcos lead the adoption of AI in a responsible and sustainable way?

Building an AI-ready network is not just a technical upgrade—it’s a complete re-architecture of how we think about connectivity. At VEON, we see AI and the network as inseparable, two sides of the same transformation. We call it “AI in the network and the network in AI.”  You can’t have one without the other.

To strengthen networks for AI, the first step is to make them intelligent by design—cloud-native, programmable, and data-driven. We’ve been moving steadily in that direction by modernizing our infrastructure and embedding AI capabilities at every layer of the network. This allows us to predict congestion before it happens, self-optimize performance, and manage power consumption dynamically—all essential for resilience and sustainability.

A great example is our collaboration with ZTE on the Giga City initiative in Kazakhstan, where we deployed advanced Massive MIMO and renewable-powered base stations. These aren’t just engineering achievements; they are the foundation for an AI-empowered network that learns from its environment. It’s about bringing connectivity to every corner—even to places without an electric grid—and doing so intelligently and sustainably.

But resilience isn’t only about hardware. It’s also about people and responsibility. Leading AI responsibly means setting the right example—proving that technology can advance inclusion rather than deepen divides. Our principle is simple: AI should make people better at what they do. If it makes doctors better doctors, teachers better teachers, and engineers better engineers, then we’re on the right path.

In the end, a resilient AI-driven infrastructure is not built by machines alone. It’s built through a shared vision—where technology, humanity, and sustainability evolve together.

VEON and ZTE have built a trusted, long-term partnership, and the recent launch of Giga City 2.0 in Kazakhstan in August is a major step forward in AI-driven innovation and sustainable connectivity. How do you view this collaboration and the value it brings to Kazakhstan's digital transformation?

The VEON–ZTE partnership is built on trust, innovation, and a shared vision of inclusion—proving that technology must serve people and communities.

Giga City 2.0 in Kazakhstan is a perfect reflection of that. It represents the next stage of digital transformation—where engineering excellence meets social purpose. When I visited the project sites this summer, I saw first-hand what this means in practice. We’re not only deploying advanced Massive MIMO infrastructure for higher capacity and AI-driven optimization, but also bringing connectivity to areas that previously had none. Some of these sites operate entirely on solar and wind power, showing that sustainability and innovation can go hand in hand.

What excites me most is the engineering spirit behind this project. At its core, our industry is about solving real-world problems—whether that means ensuring seamless coverage in dense urban areas or delivering reliable service in remote regions without power. Together with ZTE, we turned those challenges into opportunities through smart design and AI integration.

The result is more than just better network performance; it’s a step toward a digital Kazakhstan—a country where connectivity, sustainability, and innovation support government ambitions and empower citizens. Giga City 2.0 is not the end goal, but the beginning of a broader transformation. It’s a model we can replicate in other VEON markets—a proof that when strong partnerships meet strong purpose, we can truly reshape how nations connect and grow in the AI era.

How can telecom companies leverage AI not only to streamline operations, but also to empower their teams and drive business growth?

AI is often seen as a tool for efficiency, but its real value is in amplifying human creativity. At VEON, we use AI to make both our operations and our people smarter—predicting issues, optimizing traffic, and empowering teams with data-driven insight.

By integrating AI-driven tools into daily workflows, we’re freeing our employees from repetitive tasks so they can focus on innovation, strategy, and human connection—the things machines can’t replace. Our engineers can now use AI-assisted analytics to make faster, data-backed decisions; our marketers can deliver hyper-personalized services; and our customer teams can respond with greater empathy and insight.

This also changes how we view growth. Instead of relying solely on traditional telecom revenues, AI opens new doors—from digital finance and education platforms to localized language services powered by our own large and small language models. These innovations allow us to serve customers not just as subscribers, but as digital citizens of an inclusive ecosystem.

And there’s an important human message here: it’s not AI that replaces people—it’s people who use AI effectively who lead the future. Our goal is to build an organization where every person has the tools, the confidence, and the curiosity to grow with AI. That’s how we transform a telecom company into a truly digital, human-centered enterprise.

Which AI technology do you think will have the biggest impact on the telecom industry in the coming years?

If I had to choose one area of AI that will truly reshape telecom, it would be language intelligence combined with edge AI—what I often refer to as “small language models at the edge.”

Large language models have already shown us the power of understanding and generating human-like interactions, but in telecom, we need to go further. We need AI that understands local context—the way people speak, think, and communicate in their own languages. That’s why at VEON, we’re developing localized AI models, such as the first Kazakh language–based editor app, which already delivers exceptional performance in its market. This isn’t just a technical achievement—it’s a statement of inclusion. When technology speaks your language, it becomes truly empowering.

Looking ahead, we’ll see these models becoming smaller, more efficient, and running closer to the user—at the edge of the network. That’s where real-time intelligence will happen: in the devices, in the base stations, and even in local data centers. These small, energy-efficient AI models will allow faster response, stronger privacy, and more personalization—all essential for next-generation digital experiences.

As Mr. Çakiroğlu reminds us, the future of telecom lies not in machines replacing people, but in people empowered by intelligence—a future where technology, inclusion, and human purpose advance hand in hand. Thanks, Inanç!