Pakistan to invest $1bn in AI by 2030

February 09, 2026 (MLN): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has unveiled a $1 billion plan for Pakistan’s artificial intelligence sector through 2030, aimed to build a future-ready digital economy and empower the country’s youth.

Addressing the inaugural session of Indus AI Week, the premier said the funding would support the development of a comprehensive national AI ecosystem.

Key initiatives include introducing AI curriculum in all federally run schools, awarding 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI, and training one million non-IT professionals in AI skills across the country, APP reported.

He said Pakistan was prepared to take on the technological challenge in collaboration with global partners, adding that AI interventions would target agriculture, mining and minerals, industry, commerce, trade and youth empowerment.

With nearly 60% of Pakistan’s 240 million population made up of young people, the Prime Minister emphasised the need to equip them with modern knowledge and technical skills.

Responding to concerns over rapid technological change, he said government programmes would help IT technicians transition into AI specialists while improving productivity, industrial output and women’s empowerment.

The prime minister pointed to ongoing digital reforms  including the digitisation of the Federal Board of Revenue, data-driven revenue recovery and the installation of modern scanners at ports to curb smuggling  as evidence of Pakistan’s readiness for technological transformation.

He also linked the current AI drive to earlier digital initiatives under former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, such as laptop distribution schemes, e-libraries in remote areas, e-stamp papers, digitised land records in partnership with the World Bank, the Safe City project and the establishment of the country’s first IT university in Lahore.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Indus AI Week is intended to strengthen coordination between universities, government institutions and international technology firms, while the Pakistan Digital Authority is preparing a nationwide digital master plan.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the global economy is increasingly shaped by ideas, talent, data and technology rather than commodities, describing artificial intelligence as a greater disruptor than electricity or the internet and noting Pakistan’s early investments in IT policy, NADRA and advanced human capital.

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