ISLAMABAD, OCT 1 /DNA/ – The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) hosted a high-profile seminar on Pakistan’s newly launched National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, focusing on the theme “Bridging Gaps in Pakistan’s AI Roadmap: Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward.” The session brought together policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to deliberate on the transformative potential of AI for Pakistan’s economy, governance, and society.
The panel featured distinguished speakers including Dr. Anil Salman, Chair of the Government of Pakistan’s AI Policy Committee; Dr. Najibullah, Member Science and Technology at the Planning Commission of Pakistan; Ms. Suniya Shahid, CEO & Co-founder of Techvention Ltd.; and Dr. Naveed Iftikhar, CEO of Atomcamp, who joined virtually via Zoom. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Wajid Islam, Research Economist at PIDE.
Dr. Salman explained the policy’s vision as bold, ethical, and transformative, stressing inclusivity across economic, social, and technological dimensions. He highlighted that the policy was developed through extensive consultation with domestic and international stakeholders including UNESCO, ADB, and the Commonwealth. He projected that full implementation could boost GDP by 7–12% and create up to one million jobs by 2030.
Dr. Najibullah discussed the financial ecosystem and emphasized the importance of venture capital and accelerators to bridge Pakistan’s “valley of death” in scaling startups. He announced a Public Venture Capital Fund of PKR 2 billion and highlighted the need for global accelerators to support Pakistani innovators. He also stressed sectoral opportunities in agriculture, health, and education, and pointed out challenges around data infrastructure, payment gateways, and cybersecurity.
Ms. Suniya Shahid presented an industry perspective, stressing the importance of AI adoption in healthcare and the need for ethical auditing mechanisms to ensure responsible AI use. She advocated for dedicated AI funds for women-led startups, retraining programs for displaced workers, and greater use of social media campaigns to raise awareness among youth. She also warned that unless AI models are trained on localized datasets, Pakistan will continue to face serious implementation gaps.
Joining via Zoom, Dr. Naveed Iftikhar highlighted the gap between policy formulation and adoption, stressing that AI integration within government, universities, and industries remains slow. He emphasized the urgent need for upskilling across civil service, academia, and public sector organizations, and called for partnerships with Saudi Arabia, China, and global data centers to bridge Pakistan’s infrastructure gap.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Nasir Iqbal, Associate Professor and Registrar at PIDE, reflected on the macroeconomic implications of AI policy. He stressed that the success of the policy must be judged on three fundamental pillars: productivity, inclusivity, and market competitiveness. He cautioned that while AI holds immense promise, it could also deepen inequality or lead to monopolistic structures if not implemented inclusively. He urged policymakers to think innovatively, beyond a project-based approach, and proposed measures like a “two-minute business registration model” to reduce barriers for entrepreneurs and village economic zones to empower rural communities and women.
The seminar concluded with consensus that while Pakistan faces significant challenges in infrastructure, financing, and inclusivity, the National AI Policy has set the right direction. Its success will depend on sustained collaboration between government, private sector, academia, and international partners.
