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By Ariz Riaz :
The use of artificial intelligence in Pakistan’s public sector will require long-term planning, institutional reforms, and sustained capacity building before it can deliver meaningful results, experts said at a workshop titled “AI Shaping Pakistan’s Digital Future.”
Speakers at the session stressed that while AI has the potential to improve governance, transparency, and service delivery, integrating such technology into Pakistan’s traditional civil bureaucracy will not be a quick or simple process.
The workshop, attended by journalists and digital activists, was held at the headquarters of Huawei Pakistan, which also operates as one of the company’s global back-office hubs.
Participants highlighted that digital sectors contribute over 50 percent of GDP in China, while Pakistan’s share remains minimal, reflecting a significant digital gap that needs urgent attention across government departments.
Experts said AI could play a key role in modernising public administration by automating routine tasks, reducing bureaucratic delays, and enabling data-driven policymaking in areas such as taxation, healthcare, transport, education, and law enforcement.
Kashif Iqbal, a technical specialist at Huawei, noted that Pakistan possesses a strong IT talent base. He said Pakistanis are the second-largest workforce at Huawei globally after Chinese employees, and more than 20,000 Pakistani students participate every year in Huawei’s international technology competitions, frequently securing top global rankings.
Despite the presence of basic digital infrastructure, experts argued that the lack of structured, digitised public data remains a major barrier to effective AI adoption.
Ahmed Bilal Masood, CEO of AI and Cloud Business at Huawei Pakistan, said AI represents a major opportunity to reform outdated systems but warned that senior officials still lack sufficient understanding of emerging technologies.
“AI and data sovereignty are now becoming issues of national security,” Masood said, stressing that Pakistan needs strong local cloud infrastructure to ensure sensitive data remains under national control.
He added that Huawei is already supplying AI equipment and cloud solutions for several ICT projects in Pakistan, particularly in sectors such as telecom, banking, and urban management.
Masood also pointed out that AI alone cannot fix governance problems unless supported by strong legal frameworks. He urged the government to accelerate the implementation of cybercrime laws, data protection regulations, and digital ethics policies.
“Without proper legislation and accountability, technology can create new risks instead of solving old problems,” he said.
Faisal Ameer Malik, Huawei’s Chief Technology Officer for the Middle East and Central Asia region, explained that the concept of AI was first introduced in 1956, but major breakthroughs occurred in 2011, led by companies such as Google. He added that AI gained widespread momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic, when automation and digital tools became essential for economic survival.
Malik noted that between 2012 and 2022, AI systems mostly relied on small datasets, but modern AI now depends on massive data models driven by global digitalisation.
He added that nearly 170 countries have introduced national digital strategies, and around 60 have elevated AI to the level of a national policy. Pakistan approved its National AI Policy in 2025, aiming to integrate AI into governance, education, agriculture, and industry.
Experts at the workshop also suggested that Pakistan could benefit from AI in disaster management, climate monitoring, smart policing, tax enforcement, and predictive healthcare, but warned that misuse of AI without safeguards could raise concerns around surveillance, privacy, and algorithmic bias.
They concluded that Pakistan’s AI journey must focus not just on technology, but also on human skills, legal reforms, institutional restructuring, and ethical governance to ensure sustainable and responsible digital transformation.
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