ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has drafted the “National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy,” aimed at embracing AI by appreciating human intelligence and stimulating a hybrid intelligence ecosystem for equitable, responsible, and transparent use of AI.

The policy framework envisaged to provide a complete AI-enabling ecosystem in Pakistan, covering all aspects of awareness, skill development, standardisation, and ethical use.

According to a State of AI Report, Pakistan ranks 117 out of 172 countries and has an index score of 34.03 in terms of AI readiness at a global scale.

The National AI Policy is crafted to focus on the equitable distribution of opportunity and its responsible use, having the defining attributes including evidence-based and target oriented, user-centric and forward-looking, objective and overarching.

The AI policy further aims to augment AI and allied technologies through balanced demand and supply-side interventions, inducing the establishment of research and innovation centers in AI for developing, test bedding, deploying, and scaling AI solutions. This includes learning how to improve governance and manage the impact of AI, responsible use of AI to generate economic gains and improve lives. In addition, AI will raise the government’s capability to deliver anticipatory and personalised services.

Pakistan shall increase awareness and understanding of AI technologies and their benefits; our workforce will be equipped with the necessary competencies to participate in the AI economy. Transformation of sectors and industries towards effective use of AI, facilitated by national IT boards through creating awareness and offering training programmes through sectoral cooperation.

The draft policy noted that the main challenge for the successful implementation of IoT Cloud-based services is the availability of data in digital form and the standardization of the data. Pakistan’s government and public organizations are sitting on vast amounts of data that have yet to be digitalised and then standardized so that it can be used in predictive analytics, machine learning/deep learning, and other technological uses.

The following points discuss the prospects of AI applications: I. CoE-AI shall establish IoT cloud-based services at subsidized rates. It will offer a faster learning experience and support for academia. II. CoE-AI shall promote IoT-based applications. Improve the quality of Cloud and IoT-based technologies and will provide state-of-the-art facilities for predictive analytics and the generation of insights for various industries. III. The initiative shall invite local and international companies to provide IoT-based Cloud services on competitive grounds.

The ministry stated that the need for National AI Policy is to create a broad-based awareness of the use of AI-based platforms while keeping privacy at the forefront, upskilling human capital on AI and allied technologies, guiding investment in AI research and development, ensuring ethical and responsible use of AI, and provide a framework for addressing the challenges and risks associated with the socio-economic outfit of the country.

The AI policy covers the key areas, including investment in Research and Development Infrastructure: Pakistan should invest in research and development to build in-house AI capabilities required for application development based on local data. This investment should include funding for establishing research organizations that have a sustainable mandate of basic research, data standardization, providing support to the government for regulatory and legal interventions regarding AI, maintaining a central computational infrastructure, data storage facilities, and partnerships with universities and research institutions both domestically and internationally. This investment should also include training programmes to build the necessary technical expertise. The AI policy outlines how Pakistan must collaborate with other countries to share best practices and expertise in AI.

The AI policy proposed the establishment of an AI regulatory directorate that ensures the ethical and responsible use of AI. This includes ensuring that AI is not used to discriminate against individuals or groups and that its use is transparent and accountable.

The AI policy addresses the potential job displacement that could result from the global proliferation of AI. This includes investing in training programmes to help existing and new workforce acquire the skills to adapt to changing job requirements.

AI can help to promote economic growth by encouraging investment in AI research and development. This investment can lead to the creation of new jobs and industries, as well as improved productivity and efficiency.

AI policy can help address social and economic challenges by improving healthcare outcomes, providing better access to education, and addressing food security challenges.

AI policy can help ensure that AI’s benefits are shared equitably across society. This includes addressing issues such as bias and discrimination and ensuring that the benefits of AI are not concentrated in the hands of a few, the draft policy noted.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023