Pakistan has introduced an ambitious national AI policy aimed at building a $2.7 billion domestic AI market within five years. It is based on six main pillars: innovation, skills, safe and ethical use, sector transformation, infrastructure and international collaboration.
Policymakers say they intend to prioritize public financing, clarify points on data use, intellectual property (IP), taxes and define financial policies under this framework.
Secure AI ecosystem
Shared AI cybersecurity systems will be implemented between institutions to protect digital infrastructure. An AI ethics board will be created to oversee data privacy: the AI Directorate.
They place an emphasis on transparency and human oversight in AI operations in the public and private sectors, and plan to achieve this by introducing a public registry of AI systems that would allow citizens to access information about the ways in which AI is used.
Additionally, an open source AI governance framework (a collection of open source tools and frameworks to implement AI governance in organizations) with international data protection standards is proposed. They also state the need for a national data security policy that outlines current security standards, what is missing, and how to keep ourselves protected.
The AI Directorate, in collaboration with the CoEs, would establish regulations for generative AI to reduce risks such as misinformation, privacy and copyright violations. According to the policy, these measures should ensure that AI tools operate responsibly and respect ethical and legal standards.
Generate jobs
The policy sets a goal of training 200,000 people annually in artificial intelligence tools, with dedicated modules for marginalized women and citizens with special abilities.
The government also plans to offer 3,000 annual scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral studies in AI, a specialized AI curriculum for civil servants to train them in the ethical use of AI and data protection awareness, and an interest-free education financing scheme to support 15,000 students a year pursuing “high-tech” careers.
In addition, it aims to launch a national “high-tech” internship program to create 20,000 internships a year in the AI sector.
Innovation
A National AI Fund (NAIF) will be established under the National Ignite Technology Fund. About 30% of Ignite’s R&D resources will go to supporting AI research, innovation and commercialization.
With funding from NAIF, Centers of Excellence (CoE) will be created in cities across the country to act as hubs to support AI research, training and startup incubation. Within these hubs, an “innovation fund” will support projects that address challenges in health, education and agriculture, while a “venture fund” will provide financial support to help scale early-stage AI startups.
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 use in education, healthcare, agriculture and energy management.
A new “Classification Management System” will be developed with government oversight 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 artificial intelligence technologies to improve efficiency in multiple areas and digitize records.
While adopting AI will be voluntary for these companies, those that do so would be eligible to receive tax breaks and subsidies, in addition to receiving training programs and workshops. The government also intends to implement artificial intelligence solutions to support local farmers in the hope of reducing crop losses.
AI infrastructure
Under the policy, a nationwide AI network will be established to provide enough computing power to handle large-scale experiments, process large data sets, and train AI models. At least 100 universities and research institutions will have access to these resources.
To complement this, the government will maintain high-quality data sets in national and provincial data repositories, while upgrading existing public sector data centers for more efficient access.
Cloud-based services and shared AI resources will be promoted to provide companies and institutions with access to data and tools through public cloud platforms, benefiting local AI developers and startups in training AI models.
International collaboration
The government plans to sign bilateral agreements with leading AI nations, such as the United States, to share knowledge, develop new technologies and establish 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 opportunities for local companies to grow. Additionally, talent exchange programs will be created that will allow students and professionals to pursue AI education and training abroad, hoping to gain experience to support further domestic innovation.
