Local AI development key to global competitiveness, says Iftikhar Ali Malik

LAHORE, Oct 11 (APP):SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry former president Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday stressed the urgent need for developing localized artificial intelligence (AI) models and applying them across all sectors to achieve sustainable economic growth and meet future challenges of global competitiveness.

According to a spokesperson, he said Pakistan had a large population, a young workforce and an established information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services sector, providing a foundation for moving towards higher-value AI development, integration and specialized services.

He said Chinese open-source AI models could help Pakistan make this transition without incurring the enormous costs associated with developing frontier AI systems from scratch. AI was rapidly expanding beyond the technology sector to become a critical part of economic infrastructure, while access to advanced models, computing power, data and skilled professionals would increasingly shape national competitiveness.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said Pakistan could adapt existing AI models to local languages and develop applications for translation, document processing, education and public information. He said effective data governance would be central to developing a sustainable domestic AI ecosystem.

He said that Pakistan’s strategy should focus on becoming a developer, adapter and exporter of technology solutions rather than remaining primarily a technology importer. AI offered opportunities to provide higher-value digital services to international markets, enabling Pakistani companies to compete through specialized solutions rather than relying mainly on low labor costs.

Iftikhar Ali Malik stressed the need for Pakistan to pursue cooperation with China for access to AI models and computing resources, secure technology and skills transfer, support local developers and establish effective data protection rules without restricting innovation.