IT Ministry Delays Pakistan’s AI Policy for Broader Stakeholder Input

The Pakistani Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication is continuing to formulate the National Artificial Intelligence Policy, in keeping with the worldwide trend of nations formulating AI policies to control generative technology.

Reports indicate that countries are reportedly implementing policies and regulations to harness the potential benefits of AI while mitigating any potential threats it may pose, given the technology’s meteoric rise in popularity in recent years.

Sources informed Techjuice, the policy is now in the development phase and will shortly be a topic of discussion among interested parties.

In June 2023, the IT ministry’s official website hosted the Draft Policy in an effort to get input from all relevant parties. In order to finish the AI policy draft and put a cap on consultation, the ministry has also formed the Artificial Intelligence Policy Committee.

According to the report, the committee on AI policy includes representatives from the government, academia, business, and civil society.

Despite the absence of current AI-related legislation, the proposed policy lays out a regulatory framework with five main components.

The information technology ministry is supposedly working on legislation, regulations, or policies to deal with the problems associated with AI gone wild.

Critical Telecom Data and Infrastructure Security Regulation (CTDISR), the National Cyber Security Policy of 2021, the Pakistan Cloud First Policy of 2022, the CERT Rules of 2023, and other sector-specific rules are all examples of the types of measures undertaken by the ministry.