Pakistan’s path in the AI age

AI educationist and scientist Andrew Ng has rightly dubbed artificial intelligence (AI) as “the new electricity”. Electricity transformed and nurtured civilisation by impacting each sphere of lives such as powering industries, transportation, and communication etc. and thus driving unprecedented economic growth in 19th and 20th Centuries.

We are at that inflection point again, and now this notion of transformation is far larger than a technological trend with perpetual powers of AI to shape human society. The current AI revolution is being built around an expensive and highly concentrated model of computing. Today’s most advanced AI systems depend on massive cloud infrastructure, giant data centers, sophisticated chips and enormous energy consumption. The scale of this concentration is becoming difficult to ignore.

According to Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index Report, private AI investment in the United States reached nearly $286 billion in 2025 alone. For developing countries such as Pakistan, competing on the same terrain would be economically unrealistic. Building hyperscale infrastructure requires vast investments in energy, computing power and digital ecosystems that many states simply cannot sustain.

Yet a quieter shift is now unfolding at AI revolution, the AI at Edge, where the opportunity for Pakistan emerges. Unlike the centralised AI systems dominated by massive cloud infrastructure and technology giants, the emerging technologies offer countries like Pakistan a rare opportunity to bypass traditional barriers and carve out a meaningful place in the global AI economy. The global market for Edge AI tend to outpace in the coming decade with estimated value between $140 billion and $385 billion by the mid-2030s. Countries that develop expertise in this domain could secure an important position in the next phase of technological growth.

Pakistan is not without advantages. Every year, the country produces thousands of graduates in computing, engineering and related disciplines, while its startup and software sectors continue to expand. The country has already demonstrated capabilities in software development and ICT exports. With strategic investment, Edge AI could help create a new generation of engineers capable of developing intelligent, and low-cost solutions for domestic and global markets alike.

The benefits would extend beyond technology. High-value employment, stronger technology exports, foreign investment and a more resilient digital economy could follow. In an increasingly AI-driven world, the ability to build intelligence at the edge may become an important component of economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty at par with the developed nations.

To seize this opportunity, universities, policymakers and industry must move beyond rhetoric and begin building real technical capacity. Edge AI should be integrated into engineering and computing programmes through specialised labs, updated curricula and industry-linked training.

Pakistan also needs a broader ecosystem for research, innovation and entrepreneurship built around collaboration between academia, the private sector and international partners. National AI policy reforms can include practical, compute and energy-efficient technologies suited to the country’s economic constraints.