Pakistan has introduced an ambitious national AI policy aimed at creating a $2.7 billion domestic AI market in five years. It is based on six main pillars: innovation, skills, secure and ethical use, sector transformation, infrastructure and international collaboration.
Policymakers say they intend to prioritize public funding, clarify points on data use, intellectual property (IP), taxation and define financial policies within this framework.
Secure AI ecosystem
Shared AI cybersecurity systems across institutions should be deployed to protect digital infrastructure. An AI ethics committee must be formed to oversee data privacy: the AI Directorate.
They emphasize transparency and human control of AI operations in the public and private sectors, and plan to achieve this through the introduction of a public register of AI systems that would allow citizens to access information on how AI is used.
Additionally, an open source AI governance framework – a set of open source tools and frameworks for implementing AI governance in organizations – is offered with international data protection standards. They also highlight the need for a national data security policy that outlines current security standards, what’s missing, and how to protect ourselves.
The AI Directorate, in collaboration with the CoEs, would establish regulations for generative AI to reduce risks such as misinformation, privacy breaches and copyright violations. According to the policy, these measures should ensure that AI tools operate responsibly and meet ethical and legal standards.
Generate tasks
The policy sets a target of training 200,000 people per year in AI tools, with modules dedicated to marginalized women and citizens with disabilities.
The government also plans to offer 3,000 annual scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral studies in AI, a specialist AI program for civil servants to train them in the ethical use of AI and data protection awareness, and an interest-free education funding scheme to support 15,000 students a year pursuing “high-tech” degrees.
Furthermore, it aims to launch a national “high-tech” internship program to create 20,000 internships per year in the AI sector.
Innovation
A National AI Fund (NAIF) is to be established under the National Ignite Technology Fund. Approximately 30% of Ignite’s research and development resources will be dedicated to supporting AI research, innovation and commercialization.
With NAIF funding, Centers of Excellence (CoE) are to be established in cities across the country to serve as hubs supporting AI research, training and startup incubation. Within these centers, an “innovation fund” is to support projects addressing challenges in healthcare, education and agriculture, while a “venture capital fund” is to provide financial support to help AI startups at an early stage of development.
The government intends to introduce data standards and quality assurance frameworks to ensure the reliable and ethical use of domestically developed AI models.
Transformation and evolution
The government wants to use AI to improve industries and services, and plans to create a detailed roadmap for its use in education, health, agriculture and energy management.
A new “ranking management system” will be developed under government supervision to help individuals and businesses select the right AI tool for the job. According to the policy, they will encourage companies in the industrial sector to adopt AI technologies to improve efficiency in several areas and digitize records.
Although adoption of AI will be voluntary for these companies, those that do so will be eligible for tax breaks and grants, as well as training programs and workshops. The government also aims to implement AI solutions to support local farmers in hopes of reducing crop losses.
AI infrastructure
According to the policy, a national AI network will be established to provide sufficient computing power to run large-scale experiments, process large data sets and train AI models. At least 100 universities and research institutes will have access to these resources.
To complement this, the government will maintain high-quality datasets in national and provincial data repositories, while upgrading existing public sector data centers for more efficient access.
Cloud-based services and shared AI resources should be encouraged to enable companies and institutions to access data and tools through public cloud platforms, thereby benefiting local AI developers and startups in training AI models.
International collaboration
The government plans to enter into bilateral agreements with leading countries in the field of AI, such as the United States, to share knowledge, develop new technologies and create joint AI research centers.
Pakistan will actively participate in global AI forums to showcase progress and build partnerships, and our AI regulations would be aligned with international standards to ensure compliance.
The policy also aims to attract foreign direct investment in the AI sector, providing capital and growth opportunities for local companies. Additionally, talent exchange programs will be created, allowing students and professionals to pursue AI education and training abroad, hoping to bring back expertise to further support domestic innovation.
