The innovation of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology continues to enhance the quality of life. This is bringing revolutionary changes in the public and private industries of Pakistan. Now AI technology is at the forefront of innovation and progress in in Pakistan. The same AI trends seem in Pakistan and the Artificial Intelligence Scope in Pakistan is broad and risen and now. It has become an integral part of the country’s development and prosperity of the people of Pakistan.
The AI trend in Pakistan is not just affecting government services but also bringing major changes in small, medium, and large size enterprises. The Government of Pakistan is also committed to using AI to better serve the public. The federal government of Pakistan is establishing some strong guardrails such as a National AI policy to ensure that the usage of AI keeps the people of Pakistan safe and does not violate their rights.
The government of Pakistan is working on different projects to implement AI technology in healthcare, education, energy, transportation, security surveillance, banking sectors science and research, etc. The different private sectors are also playing their role in harnessing the opportunities of AI and machine learning technology and bringing innovation to their services in Pakistan.
In this blog post, we will discuss in detail the scope of artificial intelligence in Pakistan, AI adoption in service sectors, usage of AI applications in businesses, and career opportunities and growth for young talented Pakistani professionals in this sector.
Future of Artificial Intelligence in Pakistan
Pakistan seems quite open about the adoption of AI because just in 2022, around 25,000 students from around Sindh participated in the Presidential Initiative for Artificial Intelligence and Computing (PIAIC) 2022. The event was held at Karachi’s National Stadium. The purpose of this initiative was to invite more young individuals to offer them training on artificial intelligence and highlight the importance of AI in their careers. So, this is the light of hope we can see. Further discussion on the future impact of artificial intelligence in Pakistan as per the industries is as follows.
AI in Education
Our education system is biased and also very flawed. When we talk about the challenges, it lacks updated courses and teaching methods. However, we also lack more talented teachers and professors. Resources are quite limited and many rural areas still don’t have access to education. We might flaunt the highest literacy rate in Hunza, but still, overall education industry challenges are huge. There are many strategies to overcome them, and AI can be part of more than half of those challenges.
AI in Education can save time for teachers with automated systems offering features like assigning assignments, tracking them, and also providing open AI forums for real-time discussions.
Moreover, AI can also fill the place for teachers as we lack resources here. Right now the teacher-student ratio of 1:41 is quite higher than the suggested ratio of 1:30. It means that students are not getting enough benefits of academic success. To improve education, schools, and colleges can leverage Artificial Intelligence and personalize education for many students. As it makes it more accessible all over Pakistan, it also removes any language barriers by working in local languages.
AI in Chatbots
If you have surfed online lately, you might see a popup chatbox as soon as you land on the website. If you send a message through it, you will get the answer immediately. Mostly, these are chatbots built on AI for customer services. It might not be too common in Paksitani systems online, but it is happening.
We even have the example of a chatbot named Raaji developed by a Pakistani developer. Saba Khalid created this AI chatbot to help women in rural areas with their health and education issues. It enables you to ask a question and respond with an appropriate answer. It may be operated in several languages, making it simple for less-educated women to use. Similar work on a larger scale has the potential to alter the lives of women throughout Pakistan.
AI in Banking
The banking business has evolved in the last few years. We now have online banking, but digitization is taking some time due to the lack of strategic decisions. However, recently state banks have paced and now they are more vocal about moving banks toward technology by incorporating AI in Banking.
“There is an urgent need to embrace modern technologies such as analytics and artificial intelligence to improve threat visibility and successfully deter fraud. These risks are best managed by a collaborative effort by all stakeholders, which the industry must recognize and address on time”. State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad
With internet banking, there is some improvement to witness however, a lot more can be done to enhance the future of Artificial Intelligence in Banking. If AI is incorporated into digital banking it can certainly improve fields such as knowing your customer for personalized services, In the finance and banking sector AI-driven algorithms are being used for Fraud detection and prevention, automated trading, and Credit risk assessment and management.
Ai in Health Care of Pakistan
For many years, Pakistan’s healthcare business has faced many challenges and still is. The hospitals lack resources and proper healthcare equipment and if there are tools, it is hard to cater to the patients because of the fewer facilities. Along with the shortage of healthcare staff, it also has poor healthcare infrastructure. These challenges directly impact the quality of healthcare. That is why in healthcare AI-powered solutions are being used in government and private hospitals. For diagnostics, drug discovery, medical history maintaining, online medical consultation, and predictive patient analytics the AI technology is excellent. As we talk about online medical consultation private companies such as Merham, Dawaii. pk, eShifa, and sehat khani are prominent and every citizen of Pakistan can get their online medical consultation at homes or offices.
As for the starters, we have the first cloud-based teleconsultation solution of AI in Health Care named PatientFIRST. The company created software for individuals and healthcare centers in Pakistan to manage patient booking, scheduling, and social media through automated and AI-powered features. The solutions like these are just the beginning. More substantial investments in such systems can help us to leverage AI and enhance the overall healthcare in Pakistan.
AI in Agriculture of Pakistan
The economy of Pakistan is mostly relying on agriculture and its farmers. They might have been clouded by political circumstances, but technology has its way of improving it. For example, AgriTech businesses built an AI solution Ricult. They are using AI to empower farmers. Ricult as the solution of AI in Agriculture provides a smartphone application. It gives farmers individual crop management suggestions based on meteorological data, soil conditions, and market trends. It also optimizes resource use and boosts crop yields. Moreover, it provides food security, thereby meeting a crucial national requirement. Finally, we can say that AI solutions can used to optimize crop yield ratio and minimize water wastage.
AI in the Transport Sector
The transport system in Pakistan is not quite smooth. Yes. better and improved road infrastructure has improved it to some extent. However, AI in the transport system either for supply chain or public transport is yet to happen in Pakistan. But if companies with transport management systems start investing in AI solutions, they can get efficient supply chain management. It will certainly help in implementing tracking and tracing solutions. As for public transport, AI has improved Google Maps for companies like Uber, Careem, InDrive, and others. With more investments, AI can improve the system.
AI in Smart Home
Smart home automation systems use machine learning algorithms to determine human preferences and adjust the environment accordingly. From Siri and Alexa as AI voices, we have other remote controls and AI power tools too. These can be used to control flights with your phone app, enhance security, and control the temperature of the house too. These devices are AI-empowered and can also help to build managers to keep the occupancy data and analyze energy consumption patterns. Societies like Smart City in Karachi are offering smart home plans and enhancing the real estate industry, but it is still a time-consuming process in Pakistan. As for now, these systems are quite expensive in Pakistan, but some offices and houses are seen to be using them. So, we are hoping that in a few time, it will be more accessible to common people.
AI in Cybersecurity
Given the poor track record of governmental institutions and commercial enterprises being attacked by hackers, cybersecurity is slowly gaining popularity in Pakistan. These hackers did not even spare the government if you remember the leaked conversations and videos. As a result, it is now essential for the public and private sectors to work together to develop and implement a cybersecurity program.
The Government of Pakistan established the National Center for Cyber Security NCCS in 2018. Its primary goal is to address growing concerns about the increasing demand for human capital, R&D resources, and a startup environment. Tier3 is one of the Pakistani startups for cybersecurity tools and solutions. They offer AI-based solutions for businesses and individuals. However, it still requires more attention and resources to get started and adequately implement cybersecurity solutions.
AI in Manufacturing
As of now, more data is needed to know the AI advancement in Pakistan’s manufacturing industry. But we do know that the manufacturing industry is quite large in our country. So, for the fact, businesses can overcome many challenges if they begin implementing solutions and deploying streamlined operations. AI algorithms can evaluate manufacturing data to control cost, enhance quality control, increase efficiency, and reduce cost of business. It can also enable product modification depending on particular customer preferences. Moreover, it adds to the expanding trend of personalization and on-demand production. In the end, it is all about smart investments.
AI Science and Research
Pakistan’s economic situation has always been in trouble and as for the science and research department, we do not have high-value labs available. Yes, we still have a long way to go with it, but some of the well-known institutes are working on science and research to improve the scope of AI advancements in Pakistan. Despite the economic fallouts, different research papers have been published on Artificial intelligence application in university libraries of Pakistan which is discussing the possible AI automation in university of Pakistan. The ITU institute in Lahore managed to build an intelligent machine lab for students and teachers with the objective to develop Ai applications and tools that will assist Government and Non-Government organizations in analyzing urban populations. The intelligent machine lab is currently working on the following areas:
- Robotics
- Computer Vision
- Machine Learning
- Human-Robot Interaction
- Geographic Information System (GIS)
A group of professors from Information Technology University (ITU) Lahore are handling important challenges and working on many innovative ideas. They had established and deployed an AI traffic system in Lahore at some point.
Conclusion
The Artificial Intelligence Scope in Pakistan is not just promising but also crucial for the country’s progress. With the significant AI technology implementation steps, a growing number of AI solutions and applications in business, new AI startups, and the building of AI machine labs and research institutes, we are quite confident that Pakistan is on the right track and make a significant mark on the global AI landscape.
Now there is a broader scope of Artificial Intelligence and there are big opportunities for AI professionals. Universities are offering different AI BS and MS and Ph.D. programs that lead to careers in artificial intelligence. These programs are:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Sciences
- Computer Science
- Software Engineering
- Robotic and intelligent Machine Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer & Information Systems
- Cloud Computing
The government is also taking some steps to educate and train people in the AI and machine learning field. The public sector universities are also offering different types of short and degree programs in AI and machine learning technology. You can enroll in these programs and become a qualified AI engineer, AI consultant, natural language processing expert, data scientist, machine learning specialist. Take the right decision at the right time and cash upcoming career opportunities top 10 AI companies in Pakistan and multinational companies in Pakistan and abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will Artificial Intelligence change the future?
Automation is one of the most significant ways for AI to change the future. Machine learning enables machines to think and perform like humans just a lot faster. Tasks like data entry, AI image editing, data collection, and a lot more can be done through AI tools. As for the future, we can accept self-driving cars, robots, and even customer services all through AI. Many people link AI with terrifying, world-controlling science fiction robots. However, artificial intelligence and the future of humans are still aligned. It is here to ease our job and day-to-day operations; increase quality of life; and make tasks easier and more efficient.
What is the Career Scope in Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence work is not only in high demand but also provides an excellent entry point into various professions and sectors. Machine Learning Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Research Scientist, Robotics Engineer, UX Designer, and Business Intelligence Developer are among the most in-demand AI jobs.
How can I learn the Artificial Intelligence Course for free?
You can start with many free online education platforms. One of the Google AI for Everyone courses is also available through the online education site EdX. Sign up for the platform to access a plethora of relevant courses. Other than that, YouTube is a great place for beginners to learn. When it comes to specialization, it is best to attend a reputable university.
What are the main sectors in which the government is planning to indulge AI in Pakistan?
The Pakistani government has set up some institutes and dedicated a budget for AI training and implementation in the industries like business, development, governance, education, and health care.
What are the prerequisites for Artificial Intelligence?
You need to study computer science concepts along with algorithms study, data structures, and different programming languages. Moreover, it is also necessary to understand mathematical principles like probability, statistics, and calculus.
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