ISLAMABAD: Senator Anusha Rehman of the PMLN, representing Pakistan, addressed the historic launch of the “Global Dialogue on AI Governance,” under the auspices of the United Nations on Thursday and highlighted the need to promote equity in Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation by facilitating technology transfers, ensuring affordable access to infrastructure, and making quality datasets and critical data available to developing nations.
She also called for the establishment of a United Nations Artificial Intelligence Fund to secure sustainable financing and capacity-building.
She underscored that the Dialogue must serve as a practical instrument to bridge knowledge and capacity gaps, particularly for developing countries, through tailored policy advice, training, and open access resources.
Anusha Rehman emphasised the importance of developing a comprehensive global framework that ensures AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy, fully aligned with international human rights laws and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The senator stressed the importance of equitable representation of developing countries within the Dialogue and related panels to reflect regional realities in outcomes. She further highlighted the urgent need to safeguard citizens, particularly children, youth, and the elderly, by protecting privacy and personal freedoms, raising awareness about deepfakes and misinformation, and addressing the challenges of bias and misuse of data.
She highlighted Pakistan’s progress by noting that the country has adopted the ‘National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025’ as a roadmap to harness AI for inclusive and sustainable growth.
This policy, she explained, places strong focus on investing in human capital and infrastructure while strengthening regulations to protect personal data and ensure safe adaptation of AI technologies. “Artificial Intelligence must become a driver of common public good and shared prosperity,” Senator Anusha Rehman affirmed. “Pakistan will continue to work constructively with the United Nations, its agencies, and all global partners to ensure responsible and equitable AI governance,” she said.
