KARACHI: Prime Minister’s National Task Force on Science and Technology Chairman Dr Attaur Rehman has said the incumbent government has planned to spend around Rs50 billion in areas of artificial intelligence, information technology, big data, cybersecurity and related technologies to transform the national economic model.
He was speaking at the opening session of two-day second International Conference on Information Science and Communication Technology the other day.
The conference was organised by the Department of Computer Science, University of Karachi.
Dr Atta, who also headed the Higher Education Commission, said Pakistan currently had a natural resource-based economy and to emerge as a strong nation it needed to make education, science, IT, innovation and entrepreneurship the key drivers of socio-economic development.
He stressed that knowledge is now the main driving force of world economics.
Singapore, he said, which is only 865 square kilometers in size with a five million population, has exports of around $330 billion as it focused on human resources and high-tech exports.
He said by 2025, 12 disruptive technologies would make an impact around the world and it was suggested that they would generate revenue of around $100 trillion.
“The local experts should focus on advanced robotics, autonomous and near-autonomous vehicles, next-generation genomics, energy storage, mobile internet, automation of knowledge work, internet of things, cloud, 3D printing, advanced materials, advanced oil and gas exploration and recovery and renewable energy to become a part of that gigantic global economic output.”
Dr Atta informed the audience that all government software contracts would only go to local companies to boost local business and special technology zones would also be set up.
