ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence by 2030. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Indus AI Week in Islamabad on Monday.
Addressing participants at the event organized by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications, the prime minister said the investment would go a long way toward building indigenous AI infrastructure in the country.
"[This] event will not only transform Pakistan’s technological landscape but will also prove to be a real game changer. In collaboration with our friendly and brotherly countries, we will move forward on this shared path with strong commitment and enthusiasm,” he said.
The PM said that AI would be integrated into the federal school curriculum across the country, including the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the remote parts of Balochistan.
“This is to prepare the youth for leadership and the digital economy,” he said.
He announced that the government will provide 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI to youth by 2030, with the aim of building a world-class research center.
PM Sharif said the government will launch a nationwide program to train one million non-IT professionals in AI skills, enabling them to improve productivity and their livelihoods.
He said Pakistan was fully ready to join the global AI community, adding that it would be a valuable partner in this field.
The prime minister said he will implement programs to transform the country’s youth from IT technicians into AI experts.
Highlighting priority sectors, the prime minister said AI interventions would focus on agriculture, mines and minerals, industry, commerce, trade, and youth empowerment.
With a population of around 240 million, nearly 60% of whom are young, he stressed the need to equip them with modern knowledge and skills.
Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Indus AI Week aimed to strengthen coordination between universities, governments and international companies, underscoring Pakistan’s full commitment to a digital revolution. She said the Pakistan Digital Authority was preparing a nationwide digital master plan to guide future transformation.
Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, in his remarks, said the world had entered a moment where intelligence itself had become a factor of production, with nations competing on ideas, talent, data and technology rather than commodities.
He described artificial intelligence as a bigger disruptor than electricity or the internet, noting that Pakistan’s engagement with technology began over two decades ago with early IT policies, the creation of NADRA, and large-scale investment in advanced human capital.
