Shaza Fatima urges Pakistan to produce AI, not only use it
At an SDPI event in Islamabad, the IT minister said generative AI could leave developing countries behind unless Pakistan builds local skills, language data and digital systems.
Federal IT minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said rapid AI advances could widen economic and social inequalities.
She told an SDPI conference Pakistan must become a producer of AI solutions, not only a consumer of foreign tools.
She warned of a growing split between people with AI skills and those without, and urged upskilling and hybrid education.
She called for Urdu and regional-language datasets so local cultures are represented in AI systems.
She linked the warning to the Digital Nation Pakistan Act and plans for connectivity, cybersecurity and AI.