Telecom experts for aligning people, policy & product to compete in AI era

KARACHI: Telecom experts say the industry needs to bring people, policy and product development onto the same track if it wants to stay competitive in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

Speaking at a panel hosted by IBA Karachi titled “The AI Imperative: Confronting Challenges, Creating Opportunities” Jazz’s Chief Strategy Officer, Ali Naseer, outlined the conditions Pakistan must create to fully benefit from artificial intelligence.

The discussion, which also featured Asif Peer and Nadeem Elahi, examined how AI is reshaping business strategy, workforce development, and national competitiveness. During the session, Ali said Pakistan’s ability to move forward with AI depends on progress across three interconnected areas: people, policy and product. He stressed the need to expand local talent pipelines and strengthen the country’s skills base so Pakistan can generate its own AI solutions rather than rely solely on external technology.

He added that this talent push must be supported by governance structures that build trust in how data is collected and used, and by national policies that uphold digital sovereignty while allowing innovation to flourish. Without these foundations, he noted, AI adoption will remain fragmented and limited in impact.

On the product front, he said Pakistan must scale AI applications that address local realities — from networks to customer experience to digital services — ensuring that the technology delivers tangible value at national scale. He pointed to Jazz’s own work in integrating AI across operations as an example of how telecom operators can contribute to this shift.

Drawing from insights gained during a recent visit to China, he highlighted that countries advance fastest when academia, industry and government operate in alignment, and when ecosystem partners share a common innovation agenda instead of working in isolation.

The panel concluded with broad agreement that AI has already moved into mainstream use and will increasingly shape economic and technological outcomes in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025