Pakistan is set to become the first country to sign the Digital and AI Compact, ARY News reported on 18 October. Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja left for South Korea to attend the Global AI and Digital Summit, where she is expected to present Pakistan’s plans for AI and digital development.
Key points
- Pakistan is expected to become the first country to sign the Digital and AI Compact.
- Khawaja will attend a ministerial meeting and present Pakistan’s future roadmap during a session on the compact.
- Pakistan has formulated a national AI policy but has no AI-specific regulatory structure.
The Digital and AI Compact in Seoul
The Global AI and Digital Summit will take place in Seoul, PhoneWorld reported. Khawaja will participate in its AI and Digital Ministerial Meeting, where participants are expected to discuss AI development, digital inclusion and access to technology in Pakistan. A separate session on the Digital and AI Compact is due to give the minister an opportunity to set out the country’s future roadmap.
Pakistan is expected to sign the compact and present its future roadmap at the summit. The minister is also due to explain Pakistan’s approach to extending internet access and making digital services available to the public, according to ARY News. Those priorities place access to technology in the same programme of meetings as AI development, rather than treating the planned signature as a meeting devoted solely to the technology.
Pakistan’s AI policy and existing rules
Khawaja has said Pakistan formulated its national AI policy after consultations and that the government would focus on putting it into effect. Pakistan has no AI-specific regulatory structure, ARY News reported. The National Cyber Security Policy 2021, Pakistan Cloud First Policy 2022 and CERT Rules 2023 are among the existing measures addressing risks associated with AI use. The report also named the Critical Telecom Data and Infrastructure Security Regulation among sectoral rules.
The distinction matters for the commitments Pakistan is preparing to make. A national policy that the minister says the government intends to implement, existing digital and telecom rules, and a proposed signature at a summit are different instruments. The country’s current arrangements address some risks through measures that are not an AI-specific regulatory structure. Khawaja’s planned presentation in Seoul will put Pakistan’s next steps before an international audience while that domestic position remains as reported.
Google and World Bank meetings for Khawaja
Khawaja is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Google Vice President Wilson L. White about potential cooperation in digital technology and AI, according to PhoneWorld. Khawaja also has a scheduled meeting with World Bank Vice President Ousmane Diagana on shared priorities and possible joint work. The meetings form part of a visit that also includes discussions about wider access to the internet and digital services.
The minister’s programme therefore brings together Pakistan’s proposed signature of the Digital and AI Compact, discussions with other ministers, and separate meetings with a technology company and the World Bank. Pakistan’s account of its plans will be delivered in those settings while its existing policies and rules remain the measures identified for addressing AI-related risks at home.
Khawaja will present Pakistan’s future roadmap during a session on the Digital and AI Compact at the Seoul summit.
