The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has outlined six key pillars under its Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy framework to drive adoption, innovation, and global competitiveness.
These pillars aim to strengthen the AI ecosystem in Pakistan by focusing on innovation, readiness, security, transformation, infrastructure, and international collaboration.
According to the AI Policy document available with ProPakistani, the first pillar, AI Innovation Ecosystem, will track the number of startups and SMEs leveraging AI technology, the growth of AI-based jobs, and industry adoption of AI solutions in sectors like smart cities, healthcare, and agriculture. Increased investments and funding in AI-related ventures will also be a core performance measure.
The second pillar, Awareness and Readiness, will emphasize the expansion of research and intellectual property in AI. Key indicators include the number of AI-focused research papers, patent applications, and funding allocated to research grants and initiatives. This will help ensure Pakistan’s talent pool is equipped to contribute to the rapidly evolving AI sector.
For the Secure AI Ecosystem, the third pillar, the focus will be on reducing cyber threats, implementing data standardization, and promoting ethical AI practices. Public awareness campaigns will encourage responsible AI use, while efforts will be made to digitize and synchronize existing infrastructure, such as WAPDA, NADRA, FBR, and the health and education sectors, to enable real-time data sharing.
The remaining pillars, Transformation and Evolution, AI Infrastructure, and International Partnerships and Collaborations, will focus on sector-specific AI adoption, national AI computing capacity, creation of AI hubs, availability of datasets, and development of local large language models. Global partnerships, joint research, and participation in international AI forums will be pursued to ensure Pakistan remains connected to global AI advancements.