Pakistan will launch AI regulatory sandboxes to let firms test artificial intelligence applications in controlled settings. The Ministry of Information Technology expects 50 companies to use the sandboxes by 2027.
The sandboxes will operate through Centres of Excellence (CoEs) that will guide pilots and allow flexible regulatory rules tailored to each test. The move is part of a national AI policy that aims to build compute capacity and data infrastructure to support innovation.https://www.techjuice.pk/pak-govt-approves-first-ever-ai-policy-to-drive-innovation-and-tech-growth/
A national AI compute grid will link High Performance Computing centres equipped with AI hardware. Industry led data centres will supply additional compute to researchers and startups. These resources will be available to more than 100 universities and colleges for model training and large scale experiments.
The policy establishes a National AI Fund to support research and startups. Officials also plan national and provincial data repositories to provide standardised datasets for sector specific AI work. The goal is to speed product testing while protecting users.
Energy planning will support compute heavy projects. The government has begun to allocate surplus electricity to data centres and related activities to make large scale AI work feasible. This step aims to attract private investment in computing infrastructure.
The regulators will track sandbox tests and establish privacy and safety protection. The firms that enter Pakistan AI Sandboxes will pilot products prior to the introduction to the market. The project is meant to strike a balance between fast commercialisation and regulation and transform Pakistan into a local centre of applied AI.
The plan was welcomed by industry groups and demanded strict deadlines and transparent rules of application. The ministry announced that information on how applications would be made will be posted prior to the release of the first sandbox cohort. The first cohort of sandboxes is anticipated to start late 2025 with the intake being phased over 2026.