Pakistan must develop its own Artificial Intelligence (AI) models instead of relying on foreign systems that fail to reflect local cultural contexts, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Saturday.
Addressing an event, she said Pakistan cannot remain a passive consumer of AI technologies created abroad. “These models do not include and contextualise our cultural identities. We need to ensure our perspectives form part of global machine learning so that biases do not go against us,” she noted.
Shaza said the government’s National AI Initiative aims to train one million people over the next five years to strengthen Pakistan’s capacity in advanced technologies.
She highlighted shortcomings in the country’s education system, emphasising that graduates must be equipped with practical skills demanded by the industry. “We have mandated that any Computer Science graduate must earn at least one certification or complete an apprenticeship before graduating,” she said, adding that degrees alone are no longer enough for employment in a rapidly changing job market.
The minister said the government is introducing a hybrid model that makes certifications mandatory for CS students to improve youth employability. She also urged universities to overhaul outdated curricula. “The curriculum must reflect not only what is required today but what will be needed in the next 10 to 20 years,” she added.
