ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2025 is designed as a phased transition from ecosystem formation to large-scale commercialization and global integration, with early implementation focused on governance, infrastructure readiness, and market creation rather than immediate security-led deployment, according to officials and policy insiders familiar with the rollout.
Responding to queries by Business Recorder, officials at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication said the policy is not security-centric by design but deliberately sequenced, with governance and safeguards being established alongside commercialization efforts led through Ignite. Officials said Ignite is already financing AI startups, running accelerator programmes, providing cloud and compute support, and converting academic research into deployable products.
The National AI Policy 2025, unanimously approved by the federal cabinet on July 30, 2025, aims to create a responsible and ethical AI ecosystem capable of addressing local socio-economic challenges while supporting inclusive growth. Structured around six core pillars, the policy is aligned with Pakistan’s broader digital transformation agenda and envisions a shift toward a knowledge-based economy.
The policy places strong emphasis on ethics, transparency, human rights, and responsible data governance, reflecting Pakistan’s advocacy for AI regulation at international forums and its stated concerns over the dual-use nature of AI technologies.
However, sources within the IT sector and the ministry caution that significant execution risks remain, particularly around the pace of scaling compute infrastructure, the depth of specialised talent, and the system’s capacity to absorb AI across government and industry.
These sources say there are also internal concerns over sequencing, with governance frameworks moving faster than commercial scale and applied use-cases in priority sectors such as industry, public administration, and security-adjacent domains.
IT sector sources further note that while the policy enables international collaboration, engagement has so far remained limited to early-stage interactions, warning that prolonged delays in compute availability, datasets, and applied AI adoption could weaken Pakistan’s competitive positioning if the transition to scale is not accelerated.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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