Pakistan to train 1 million non-IT professionals in AI under nationwide productivity drive

Pakistan will launch a nationwide programme to train one million non-IT professionals in artificial intelligence as part of efforts to boost productivity and improve livelihoods, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Tuesday.

The training push forms part of a broader $1 billion plan to strengthen Pakistan’s artificial intelligence ecosystem, announced by the prime minister at the inauguration of Indus AI Week 2026, she said while addressing university students in Islamabad. The initiative also includes PhD scholarships in AI and mandatory AI education in schools and colleges.

Khawaja said Parliament passed the Digital Nation Pakistan Act last year, providing a roadmap for digital transformation, while the federal cabinet approved Pakistan’s first National Artificial Intelligence Policy in September 2025. She said the policy spans infrastructure, data centres, computing power, human resource development, education reforms, international cooperation and ethical AI deployment.

She said Pakistan had adopted a whole-of-government approach to emerging technologies over the past two years as artificial intelligence reshaped economies, education systems and labour markets globally. Around 300,000 young Pakistanis are already being trained in AI fundamentals under existing digital skills programmes, she added.

Outlining Indus AI Week’s objectives, the minister said the initiative was structured around three pillars: showcasing Pakistan’s technological readiness and youth potential, convening global policy dialogue with more than 50 international technology leaders and policymakers, and engaging Pakistani youth through technology expos, women-focused programmes, defence technology demonstrations, startup pitching and cloud acceleration initiatives. The discussions resulted in the Islamabad Declaration on AI governance and international cooperation.

She highlighted the expanding e-sports and gaming sector, describing it as a trillion-dollar global industry, and said more than 3,000 participants took part in regional qualifiers with Rs4.5 million in prizes awarded through Ignite and the Ministry of IT. Centres of Excellence for Gaming and Animation have been established in Karachi and Lahore to provide shared facilities and training.

Khawaja said Pakistan was rolling out blockchain-backed digital identities and public key infrastructure systems to enable centralised e-KYC, enhance trust, unlock private-sector lending and support agriculture and finance. She added the government was supporting data aggregators, protecting intellectual property and funding innovation through the Pakistan Startup Fund and digitisation initiatives.

Addressing concerns over job displacement, she said artificial intelligence would not replace humans but those who understood AI would replace those who did not, stressing the need to rapidly reskill and upskill the workforce. She said Pakistan’s large youth population, if equipped with AI skills, could significantly raise productivity and economic output.

She said Indus AI Week reflected Pakistan’s historical legacy of innovation and urged young people to engage with government, industry and academia as the country seeks to scale and showcase its AI ecosystem globally.