ISLAMABAD, 11 NOV (DNA) — Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday said artificial intelligence (AI) would become a $4.8 trillion global economy by 2033, stressing the need for Pakistan to prepare its workforce with emerging digital skills.
Addressing the Margalla Dialogue, she said AI would not necessarily eliminate jobs but would change their nature, making new skills essential for employment. People equipped with AI-related skills would enjoy a significant productivity advantage over those without them.
The minister said a person using AI could be up to 100 times more productive than another individual with similar skills who did not use the technology. Highlighting Pakistan’s progress in digital infrastructure, she said internet speeds had increased by 60 per cent over the past two and a half years.
Internet data capacity had also increased by two terabits per second, while the country’s total live internet capacity currently stood at around seven terabits, she added. She said Pakistan had added three international submarine cables, while a spectrum auction of 480 megahertz had increased the country’s spectrum capacity from 274 to more than 750 megahertz.
She added that nearly 1.8 million people had subscribed to 5G services, while fibre-optic coverage had expanded from fewer than three million to more than six million household connections. Shaza Fatima said Pakistan had made significant progress in expanding its digital infrastructure over the past two years.
She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally overseeing the implementation of the Digital Nation Pakistan vision. The minister said the country’s leadership was committed to addressing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
She expressed confidence that Pakistan’s sovereign cyber defence capabilities would become among the best in the world. She said the Digital Nation Pakistan Act had established the Pakistan Digital Authority, which was preparing a National Digital Master Plan and sectoral plans covering areas such as agriculture, real estate and healthcare.
She said the government was also developing a data governance policy, which would be announced in the coming weeks, while a national data exchange layer was being piloted. Emphasising data protection and responsible technology use, she said the National AI Policy and data governance framework would ensure that humans remained responsible for decisions involving data and technology.
Shaza Khawaja said the prime minister had announced a $1 billion investment in AI earlier this year, focusing on infrastructure, skills, innovation and connectivity. She said Pakistan had also developed a seven-layer AI infrastructure framework to make computing resources available to government institutions, industry and innovators.
She highlighted emerging investments in data centres and AI infrastructure, saying the government was encouraging multiple smaller investments rather than relying on a single large-scale project. The minister stressed the need for international cooperation, open-source AI models and wider access to computing infrastructure, particularly for developing countries.
She said Pakistan was actively participating in international forums on AI governance, including the UN AI Digital Compact and the Digital Cooperation Organization, and was contesting elections to the International Telecommunication Union. Outlining the government’s human resource development targets, she said Pakistan aimed to train one million young people in AI-related skills and produce at least 10,000 AI PhDs over the next five years.
She added that the government was also working to strengthen the startup ecosystem through access to capital, cloud credits and a proposed fund of funds, with support from the World Bank and other development partners.
Referring to cybersecurity, the minister said Pakistan had strengthened its cyber capabilities and was pursuing a whole-of-government approach to address emerging digital threats. She said Pakistan had been placed among the top 40 countries in the 2024 ITU Global Cybersecurity Index.
She expressed confidence that the government would ensure Pakistan remained prepared to benefit from technological advancements while addressing the challenges associated with artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Referring to Pakistan’s defence capabilities, the minister said the country had achieved success in Marka-i-Haq under the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal (CDF) Syed Asim Munir.
She said the May conflict was not limited to conventional military operations, as a major cyber war had also taken place in the background. Pakistan had demonstrated its capabilities in both conventional defence and cyber warfare, she added.— DNA
