In a potential landmark move, the federal cabinet last week approved Pakistan’s first-ever National AI Policy, signalling the country’s ambition to emerge as a serious player in the global artificial intelligence arena. Given the rapid pace of AI development worldwide, such a framework was both urgent and long overdue, making the announcement of the policy a welcome step. The policy is ambitious, aiming to train one million AI professionals by 2030, developing 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 homegrown AI products in the next five years, while also distributing 3,000 annual AI scholarships, among other initiatives.

The policy’s true impact, however, will depend on more than lofty targets and idealistic rhetoric. For any AI framework to be truly effective, what is needed, first and foremost, are sustained, rapid investments to bridge the glaring infrastructure and capacity gaps holding back Pakistan’s IT landscape. Without first putting in place the essential digital infrastructure that ensures, at the very least, something as basic as seamless, high-speed broadband access — the building block for any meaningful digital innovation — how do policymakers intend to realise the grand goals envisioned in the policy? Internet speeds consistently lag well behind global standards, and the mere hint of political protests often leads to abrupt shutdowns or deliberate slowdowns. Moreover, there is a serious lack of high-performance computing infrastructure, including modern data centres, AI supercomputers and cloud infrastructure capable of handling large-scale processing and storage demands. The fact that Pakistan’s first AI data centre was established only in June further underscores the gap between vision and readiness.

Both the public and private sectors must also recognise that AI depends on large, reliable datasets, yet much of our public data remains undigitised. Cybersecurity is also a major concern, with growing exposure to data breaches and cyberattacks. Then there is the challenge posed by our deep-rooted skills deficit and the lack of cutting edge AI expertise within our educational institutions, a consequence of decades of neglect in science education, leaving the country ill-equipped to develop the talent it now urgently needs.

Perhaps, most critical is the state of digital governance and the increasingly restrictive environment in which Pakistan’s online space operates. The clampdown on political dissent in recent years has inevitably spilled into the digital realm, constraining the environment needed for AI to truly thrive. Beyond the routine throttling of internet speeds, there have been curbs on social media, restrictions on VPN access, attempts to install a national firewall to regulate internet usage, and the state’s preoccupation with monitoring and controlling the public’s online activities. These have all combined to inflict substantial economic losses on businesses and freelancers, likely deterred private sector investments in AI and related technologies, and weakened Pakistan’s nascent tech start-up ecosystem.

Those in power must realise that censorship and the kind of digital and AI advancements they seek simply cannot co-exist. This is a contradiction so basic that it risks derailing the entire AI vision they have set forth. Proponents of restricting digital freedoms frequently cite the Chinese and Russian examples, where technological progress has continued despite tight state control. But such comparisons are deeply misguided, and dare one say, quite foolish. Both China and Russia have spent decades developing strong technological foundations, investing in world-class science education, and especially in China’s case, building advanced alternatives to Western Digital platforms and products, allowing censorship without crippling their tech sectors. Pakistan, by contrast, lags so far behind that similar restrictions will only stifle a tech ecosystem still struggling to find its footing in the global knowledge economy. To be truly effective, the National AI Policy must be accompanied by a commitment to digital openness and a serious effort to overcome our considerable infrastructure and capacity challenges.