Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday announced the launch of a national Artificial Intelligence (AI) fund and a comprehensive 10-year roadmap to embed AI into Pakistan’s development agenda.
Presiding over a meeting of the National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, Iqbal stressed the need for AI adoption to be closely aligned with national priorities and executed through coordinated cross-sectoral efforts.
“AI adoption cannot be advanced in isolation and must instead be guided by cross-sectoral collaboration, in alignment with national priorities, and effective coordination across all relevant institutions,” stated a release by the Press Information Department (PID).
“It’s time for Pakistan to move forward with clarity and purpose,” the minister added.
Established in April 2023, the National Task Force is finalizing a long-term plan to accelerate AI implementation across twelve critical sectors, including education, health, agriculture, climate, business, and governance. For each of these, multi-stakeholder working groups will be created with representatives from the government, academic institutions, and private industry to design sector-specific roadmaps with clear objectives and timelines.
To support innovation, a national AI fund will back promising ideas and pilot projects. Iqbal also called for a nationwide mapping of AI expertise and research infrastructure to help direct future investments and shape policy.
In addition, the task force has been directed to organize a national AI workshop in collaboration with the Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) and other partners. The workshop will serve as a platform for generating practical AI solutions that address Pakistan’s unique development challenges.
Reaffirming the government’s resolve, Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that Pakistan must ensure it is not left behind in the global race for AI and technological leadership.
