National Artificial Intelligence Forum inaugurated

Islamabad : Sino-Pak Centre for Artificial Intelligence (SPCAI) organised the National Artificial Intelligence Forum (NAIF) 2021 on Thursday at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences & Technology (PAF-IAST).

The forum was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), Government of Pakistan, and Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences & Technology (PAF-IAST).

While welcoming the participants, Dr Atif Mashkoor, Managing Director SPCAI shared the background, objectives and importance of AI forum. The forum was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Atta ur Rehman, Chairman Prime Minister Task Force on Science and Technology. He highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence and said that our youth should be equipped with modern knowledge and required skills to lead the country as innovation driving economies.

Dr Muhammad Mujahid, Rector PAF-IAST emphasized over skills orientation, focused and relevant research towards solving the problems and effective academia industry linkages. He also congratulated organisers over the successful event. NAIF was the first of its kind convention in the history of Pakistan, with an aim to gather policymakers, regulators, practitioners, experts, innovators, end-users, investor groups, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, interested public, and representatives from various industries from Pakistan and abroad under one roof to initiate a grand national discourse about the importance and effectiveness of AI in socioeconomic settings. The forum is an effort to develop an awareness of the role and impact of AI in Pakistani society and industry, as well as industrial processes, social fabric, and economic growth.

Dr. Shoaib, CEO Care (PVT) Ltd. Dr. A Min Tjoa, Vice Chairperson, United Nation Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Dr Atif Mashkoor, MD SPCAI and other National and International experts joined the event as panellists. More than 20 experts from various academic and industrial backgrounds participated in the event as guest speakers. The cohort of speakers also included internationally acclaimed experts currently serving in world-renowned educational institutes and AI-related companies.

Other than guest speakers, more than 150 professionals from different walks of life attended the event as participants. Apart from the conference, the SPCAI has also arranged an educational expo, where 28 groups of students presented their academic projects relevant to the field of AI and various industries also set-up their stalls to showcase their latest AI-related products and services.