Indus Week — A push for AI

2026-02-11 - 02:56

AS Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming economies the world over, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has done well by announcing a roadmap to build an AI ecosystem in Pakistan. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Indus AI Week 2026, he pledged to make an investment of $1 billion in Artificial Intelligence by 2030 aimed at boosting healthcare, agriculture and education; launch 1,000 fully-funded PhD scholarships in AI; initiate a nationwide programme to train one million non-IT professionals in AI skills to improve productivity and livelihoods; and introduce AI curriculum in all federally run schools in Islamabad as well as educational institutions in AJK, GB and remote parts of Balochistan. AI is shaping every aspect of life and that is why countries across the globe are adopting it for a smooth transition from their conventional systems to the modern ones. Pakistan has carved out a place for it on the global IT map and in line with this reality, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, ably led by Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, moved timely in announcing a comprehensive AI Policy last year envisaging an AI innovation ecosystem, mass awareness and readiness, a secure AI ecosystem, the transformation and evolution of various sectors, establishing nationwide AI infrastructure and promoting international collaboration and partnership in the field of AI. The policy targets training one million AI professionals, offering 3,000 annual scholarships, developing 1,000 local AI products and launching 50,000 AI-related projects by 2030. The observance of the week is a step towards realization of these lofty goals as it is designed to accelerate AI adoption and build national capability. It is satisfying to see our active partners like Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, with which Pakistan sees to establish strong technological linkages, participating in the main event. The Ministry aims to engage 100,000+ participants on-site and millions through digital channels, marking a significant step in Pakistan’s digital transformation. This is understandable as some estimates suggest the AI has the potential to increase Pakistan’s GDP growth from 7% to 15% by 2030 as the policy and the measures announced by the Prime Minister can revolutionize various sectors such as agriculture, industry and services, improving agriculture by $12 billion, industry by $5 billion and services by $26 billion. This all depends on the level of adoption, which, in turn, is dependent on availability of properly qualified manpower. The programmes announced by the PM will surely go a long way in fulfilling this requirement but more importantly the country also needs to upgrade its IT infrastructure, ensure uninterrupted services and revise outdated syllabus. The measures that the PM has pledged to launch are youth centric and offer entrepreneurship and employment opportunities, which is critical in view of the brain-drain caused by lack of economic and job opportunities. The Prime Minister underlined that Pakistan was poised to roll out programmes to help move young people from IT technicians to experts, describing the event as a ‘game changer’ for the country’s technology landscape. However, intended results can only be achieved if allocations for research and development are increased meaningfully both by the public and the private sectors; and new centres of excellence are established with active collaboration of renowned institutions and universities. The Government should expedite setting up of new national centres, including for quantum computing, new manufacturing and nanotechnology, the Quantum Valley project (a project modeled after Silicon Valley) as an innovation ecosystem with four specialized science parks focused on emerging technologies, mines and minerals, agri-tech and biosciences. Experts also point out the need for proper legislation and ensure privacy and security of data. Policymakers, industry leaders and tech stakeholders must collaborate to create an AI-friendly business environment.