Partnerships between stakeholders imperative for better AI policy in Pakistan

Islamabad:Participants of a stakeholders' dialogue stressed that despite governments’ intention to develop policies for emerging technologies, there is still a long way to go for Pakistan to keep up with the rapidly evolving AI landscape. They expressed these views in a stakeholder dialogue organized on AI by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) with technical assistance of International Media Support (IMS).

The dialogue convened key stakeholders from Pakistan’s private tech sector, AI startups and legal community. Muhammad Aftab Alam, Executive Director of IRADA, said that, “the objective of this conversation is to address the opportunities and roadblocks in the country’s growing AI ecosystem. With over 200 AI-focused startups and a market estimated at $100 million, Pakistan’s private sector is actively innovating in AI-driven solutions across industries.” Salwa Rana, Program Manager of IRADA briefed about IRADA’s recent research which emphasized that Pakistan’s current legal and regulatory environment is ill-prepared for the complex implications of AI, such as issues around content ownership, liability, and data governance.

The dialogue, moderated by Moaz Bangu, drew comparisons with regional leaders like India and the UAE, whose AI regulatory frameworks offer valuable lessons for Pakistan. Using a structured five-step approach—Find the Friction, Reframe the Challenge, Align Interests, Model the Fix, and Execute Next Moves—the dialogue surfaced practical solutions, including the need for regulatory sandboxes, model IP clauses, and data governance policies.

The participants of the dialogue highlighted critical challenges: outdated and missing legal frameworks, a lack of skilled professionals, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to funding. Shahzar Ali from Enablify AI was of the view that data is the major obstacle developing indigenous AI models since most data is in an informal shape, largely stored in old-fashioned offline methods. The digitisation of this data requires time and resources, which contribute to Pakistan’s lack of growth in the area. Haroon Wajid, co-founder of Eynvision, also emphasised the importance of AI-oriented education in Pakistan and highlighted the need for revision of curriculum to include courses on emerging technologies. Manahil Kashif from Atom Camp said that such progress is possible if multiple stakeholders collaborate to promote training and capacity building on AI.

The session concluded with a shared commitment for increased engagement between civil society and tech industry and government on actionable policy recommendations for the government.