ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Google on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote the country’s digital transformation, with students in the country getting free access to the tech giant’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools for a year.

The MoU was signed during a reception hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in honour of the Google team at the PM House, according to an official press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“Pakistan and Google signed an MoU to promote national digital transformation and innovation,” it said.

Under the agreement, the two sides will expand cooperation in digital skills, information technology exports and innovation, the PMO said.

It said Pakistan and Google had agreed to expand the Google Career Certificates programme to promote digital skills, with Google targeting 150,000 certificates in Pakistan for 2026.

The two sides also agreed to enhance access for Pakistani students to Google’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

“Pakistani students will have free access for one year to advanced AI tools, including Google AI Plus and Gemini,” the PMO said.

“Pakistan and Google agreed to cooperate on establishing an AI centre of excellence in Islamabad,” it said, adding that the centre would train Pakistani youth and human resources according to the requirements of the global market.

The PMO said the two sides would also cooperate to enhance the global competitiveness of Pakistan’s mobile applications and gaming industry, promote digital payments and expand the scope of digital commerce.

It said Pakistan and Google would cooperate on using AI to improve public service delivery and make government affairs more efficient.

“AI-powered data analytics will be used in the Federal Board of Revenue’s digitisation programme,” the PMO said.

The two sides also agreed to use AI in agriculture for crop monitoring, forecasting and sustainable farming practices, while digital platforms would be leveraged to help small and medium-sized enterprises gain access to global markets, it added.

According to the PMO, a task force comprising the government, Google and relevant stakeholders would be established to prepare a roadmap for Pakistan’s IT exports and competitiveness.

“The task force will identify barriers to IT exports and opportunities for growth,” it said.

The PMO said the agreement would also expand opportunities for young people in digital skills, startups and the technology sector through greater cooperation.

“The cooperation marked significant progress towards PM Shehbaz’s vision of increasing Pakistan’s IT exports and digital economy to $30 billion by 2030,” it said.

“The cooperation between the government of Pakistan and Google will lay the foundation for a new era of digital transformation and innovation in Pakistan,” the PMO added.

On Thursday, Google announced a $500,000 investment to help Pakistani families navigate the internet safely, launching an initiative to equip hundreds of thousands of households with digital safety tools.

The funding, committed by Google.org, will support the “Digital Pasban” initiative, which aims to provide 200,000 households with Urdu-language safety toolkits, videos and parental workshops.

The financial commitment aligns with Google’s strategy for a long-term business presence in Pakistan, marked by the inauguration of its local office in Karachi earlier this week.

The US-based technology giant opened the office on Tuesday, nearly four years after it first registered in the country, describing the move as a major milestone.