Pakistan’s $1 Billion AI Vision

By Farhan Khan (PID Peshawar)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a major plan to invest one billion dollars in artificial intelligence by the year 2030. He shared this vision during Indus AI Week in Islamabad, saying the goal is to build a strong AI system in the country that helps young people, improves skills, and supports innovation across different sectors of the economy.
As part of this plan, AI will be introduced in school education across federal institutions and in areas like Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and remote parts of Balochistan. The idea is to make sure children learn the basics of AI from an early age. The government will also offer fully funded PhD scholarships in AI to students across the country so that Pakistan can develop experts who can do high-level research and create new technologies at home.
The plan is not only for computer experts. A large national training programme will teach AI skills to people from non-IT fields such as agriculture, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. This will help workers and professionals use AI tools to improve their work and increase productivity in their own areas.
This investment is important because a large part of Pakistan’s population is young. Giving them modern skills like AI can open new job opportunities and help reduce unemployment. By spreading AI education to schools and training people from different professions, the government wants these skills to be available to everyone, not just the tech community.
The scholarships will help build research and innovation inside the country and reduce the need for talented students to go abroad. Strong research in AI can lead to new solutions in areas like machine learning, robotics, and smart systems that can support the economy.
Training professionals from different sectors means teachers, doctors, farmers, business owners, and government workers can use smart technology in their daily work. Over time, this can improve public services, make industries more competitive, and increase overall efficiency.
AI can also support important sectors such as agriculture, mining, industry, trade, and commerce. It can help farmers grow better crops, improve supply chains, and help businesses make better decisions using data.
This initiative shows that Pakistan wants to become an active part of the global digital economy instead of only using technology made by others. The goal is to make AI part of education, workplaces, and everyday services so that it benefits ordinary people in real ways.
There will be challenges, such as proper implementation, reaching rural areas, and keeping up with fast global changes, but this investment is one of the biggest steps Pakistan has taken toward building a strong digital future. It is an effort to make sure the people of Pakistan are ready for the future and can compete with the rest of the world.