ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation could improve Pakistan’s trade, exports and other areas of development and called for effective implementation of the government’s strategic partnership with global marketing company Alibaba.

The premier was chairing a meeting in Islamabad reviewing progress on the use of AI and digitalisation in the economy and governance, as well as cooperation with Alibaba in these areas, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The secret to Pakistan’s development lies in artificial intelligence and digitalisation,” the PMO quoted him as saying.

During the meeting, he said the effective use of digitalisation, AI and modern technology could play a “vital role in improving trade, exports, agricultural productivity, ease of doing business and the quality of public services in Pakistan”, PMO said.

PM Shehbaz welcomed Alibaba’s cooperation in facilitating Pakistani agricultural exports to Chinese markets, highlighting that modernising the agricultural sector was essential for national development. He also welcomed cooperation with Alibaba on automation in agriculture.

The prime minister directed that an AI-assisted cancer early-detection system be implemented at the earliest in collaboration with Alibaba. He also directed that a 15-day AI training programme for IT graduates be launched soon under the IT ministry’s Ignite programme, in collaboration with Alibaba.

The prime minister recalled that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Alibaba at the company’s headquarters in Hangzhou during his visit to China in May.

He said the government’s top priorities included making full use of its strategic partnership with the global company to improve small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) access to global markets and create new opportunities for technology-driven development in the country.

The prime minister directed all relevant authorities to ensure that cooperation with Alibaba was translated into tangible results through clearly defined targets, timelines and effective monitoring of all projects. He instructed the relevant ministries to complete all necessary measures by November and submit a progress report.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) was directed to introduce an analytics system for monitoring the petroleum products supply chain in collaboration with Alibaba, the PMO statement said, adding that Ogra was being provided with AI tools for it.

The Export Promotion Board was also instructed to work with Alibaba to help increase Pakistan’s exports.

During the briefing on progress in strategic cooperation between Alibaba and the Pakistani government, the meeting was informed that work was under way on AI-based models for agriculture, track-and-trace technology for tobacco, and digital platforms to facilitate the export of citrus fruits and olives.

A dedicated Pakistan pavilion has also been established on Alibaba’s platform to promote Pakistani products in international markets, PMO added. A system for the digital verification of trade documents through Pakistan Single Window has been made operational as well.

Meanwhile, a two-year programme is being launched through collaboration between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and Alibaba to provide SMEs with access to international markets, training and e-commerce opportunities.

The meeting also reviewed progress on developing an advanced data platform and a central data hub for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), as well as a proposed pilot project for AI-assisted cancer diagnosis.

Initiatives involving the use of digital technology and AI in higher education, railways, postal services and urban administration are also “in the final stages of completion”, the statement added.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan, Dr Musadik Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Syed Mustafa Kamal and Abdul Aleem Khan attended the meeting, along with Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and relevant senior officials.

During the premier’s four-day visit to China in May this year, Pakistan expressed its support for “China’s initiative of establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), believing that this represents a concrete step toward promoting the development of artificial intelligence for good and for all”.

In July, Pakistan became a founding member of WAICO after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai, China.

Earlier this year, PM Shehbaz announced the government’s plan to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030.