Latest news with #SarimAziz
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Meta to help advance digitalisation
Listen to article Pakistan and an international technology company have explored the potential of advancing digitalisation, promoting the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and enhancing cooperation in public sector innovation and capacity building. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja held a meeting on Thursday with a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Aziz, Director of South and Central Asia Public Policy. The minister highlighted the government's strong commitment to the Digital Pakistan vision, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a weekly review meeting on national transition towards a cashless economy. She reiterated that building a digitally empowered society was central to the prime minister's vision of Digital Pakistan, where emerging technologies play a pivotal role in governance, service delivery and economic transformation. Meta's team briefed the minister on the company's latest developments in AI, including the LLaMA open-source models, generative AI applications for the public sector and progress on local language models including Urdu.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Meta offers support for urdu AI models as Pakistan deepens digital push
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, met with a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Aziz, Director of Public Policy for South and Central Asia, to discuss strengthening Pakistan's digital infrastructure, scaling artificial intelligence adoption, and empowering youth through technology. Meta presented its latest developments in AI, including the LLaMA open-source models, Generative AI tools for public sector innovation, and work on Urdu-language AI models. The company also expressed interest in helping Pakistan build local AI capacity and expanding technical training initiatives. Shaza Fatima reiterated the government's full commitment to a digital Pakistan, emphasizing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally chairs weekly meetings on the country's shift toward a cashless economy. She stressed that digital skills for youth remain a top national priority, and that public-private partnerships like this are essential to unlocking the country's future potential. 'The effective use of AI is not optional—it is foundational for Pakistan's next phase of development,' she said. 'Initiatives that enhance youth capacity and improve public service delivery are not just welcome—they're necessary.' Both sides agreed to explore deeper collaboration in digital skilling, AI adoption in governance, and innovation-driven partnerships that can accelerate Pakistan's digital transformation.
