AI policy can revolutionize Pakistan's economy, say experts

Business Recorder

11 hours ago

IT sector experts and stakeholders hailed the government's comprehensive National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, terming it a milestone towards revolutionizing economic development in the country within next few years through collaboration and implementation in true letter and spirit.
They said the policy will open a new era of opportunities for Pakistan, as it can not only attract local and foreign investments, but could also increase exports of high-tech services and products.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the National AI Policy 2025 in a cabinet meeting recently which aims to create a complete AI ecosystem in Pakistan and democratize access to AI, enhance public services, as well as open up new employment and innovation avenues.
AI education
According to Mehwish Salman Ali, Member AI committee at Pakistan IT industry association, P@SHA, Pakistan needs to collaborate with local and foreign universities and training institutions to prepare human resources for AI, including 10,000 trainers and 1 million IT graduates in the next two years, which requires joint efforts and a uniform structure.
In this regard, top IT companies along with universities should not only launch relevant degree programs but also establish innovation centers in major cities to provide platforms to professionals for working on new ideas along with upskilling and capacity-building, she added.
She also suggested that the government should build state-level relationship with advanced countries and emerging economies such as Gulf countries for collaborations on various AI projects for mutual benefits and trade ties.
The National AI policy outlines training 1 million AI professionals by 2030, establishing an AI Innovation Fund and AI Venture Fund to boost private sector involvement, creation of 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 local AI products in the next five years, distribution of 3,000 annual AI scholarships and facilitation of 1,000 research projects, inclusion of women and differently-abled individuals through accessible education and financing, strengthening cybersecurity and national data security protocols, promoting global partnerships and compliance with international AI regulations.
Further, an AI Council and a comprehensive master plan and action matrix will oversee the policy's implementation under the policy.
$10 billion IT exports
Senior Vice Chairman P@SHA Muhammad Umair Nizam said the policy will prove as a roadmap for achieving major milestones on business, technology and economic fronts in Pakistan.
This policy may play a pivotal role in achieving the target of $10 billion IT exports by FY29 , and open windows of opportunities for investments in IT and allied companies, he said.
However, the government should provide basic infrastructure for reaping the benefits of this policy, including fast internet, affordable devices, electricity, and workstations in different cities, he added.
The government should also launch awareness campaigns nationwide because the country not only need professionals and developers of AI but also ethical and productive users of this technologies, he further said.
P@SHA said it will extend its full support in the ambitious goal of the government through its members.
Meanwhile Dr Noman Said, an IT exporter and CEO SI Global Solution said 'Pakistan's draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy is an encouraging and much-needed step toward creating a future-ready digital economy, but it is not short of vision as Pakistan's history with tech policies is riddled with delays and diluted impact.'
'To make this count, we must act decisively, cut red tape, and deliver early wins that demonstrate credibility. The real challenge isn't crafting a policy, it's turning it into progress.'
The policy sets goals stretching to 2028, while AI globally is evolving every 6–12 months, hence, the country must move at the speed of innovation, not bureaucracy, he suggested.
While the creation of different institutions is proposed, success will depend on whether these institutions are led by technocrats and industry experts or bogged down by administrative hurdles, Dr Noman said.
The private sector, particularly startups and SMEs, must be incentivized with regulatory sandboxes, tax breaks, and access to public datasets to drive adoption and innovation from the ground up.
He pointed out that the policy mentions international collaboration but must act fast to align with global AI alliances.
' If we don't integrate now, we risk becoming data consumers, not contributors.'