Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, announced on Friday that the final draft of Pakistan’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy would be presented to the Federal Cabinet for approval in August.
Addressing a meeting of the Special Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Iqbal emphasized the need for a swift consultation process with all stakeholders.
He underscored the critical role of AI in today’s world, stating, “Artificial intelligence is not the future but the present reality,” and described it as vital for progress in various sectors.
Iqbal recalled the initiatives taken by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, including the establishment of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and the National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in 2023.
He highlighted the creation of National Centers for Excellence in Advanced Technologies under Vision 2025, which are connected to engineering labs in multiple universities. According to Iqbal, these centers were crucial to keeping Pakistan competitive in the AI field.
He lamented that past policy inconsistencies had hampered national development and economic growth. He also criticized elements that, according to him, had tarnished Pakistan’s image internationally and undermined national self-confidence.
Iqbal pointed out that disruptive elements often appear whenever Pakistan’s economic progress gains momentum. He mentioned that with the start of the second phase of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (CPEC), these elements were active again.
During Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China, Iqbal noted, China committed to providing IT training to 200,000 Pakistani youth to equip them with modern skills.
Iqbal stressed the rapid global advancements in AI and the necessity for Pakistan to keep up. He expressed frustration over certain countries not granting visas to Pakistani students for education in modern technology but reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to acquiring modern technology at any cost.
He called for sharing the task force’s recommendations with provincial authorities and expressed confidence that AI would bring revolutionary changes in health, education, finance, and agriculture.
Iqbal announced an upcoming National Conference on Artificial Intelligence, inviting experts from across Pakistan. He concluded by expressing his vision for Pakistan to become a global IT and information leader and questioned why Pakistani youth could not create successful platforms like Facebook and Twitter.