ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday said socio-economic development was deeply linked with the advancements in information technology (IT) sector, making it all the more important for a developing country like Pakistan.

He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation led by Minister for Information Technology & Telecom Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and consisting of Dr Atta ur Rehman and Secretary Information Technology & Telecom Shoaib Siddiqui here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, a press release said.

The president said artificial intelligence (AI) was poised to unleash the next wave of digital disruption, as already seen in the real-life benefits, making it more urgent than ever for all to accelerate their digital transformations.

He observed that artificial intelligence (AI) promised benefits as well as posed urgent challenges that cut across firms, developers, governments, and workers.

“We must, therefore, prepare ourselves to reap the benefits of AI and minimize its perils,” he advised.

He said there was also a need to grapple with emerging ethical, legal and regulatory challenges that could otherwise hold back AI.

The president said incorporating IT was of paramount importance for sustainable economic development of a country in today’s tech-driven world.

Knowledge-economy was a pre-requisite to the comprehensive development of Pakistan for which they must provide distant learning to their populace who could not afford formal education and ensure its high quality, he stressed.