Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered swift implementation of Pakistan's strategic partnership with Alibaba while chairing a review in Islamabad of artificial intelligence in the economy and public administration. "The secret to Pakistan's development lies in artificial intelligence and digitalisation," the Prime Minister's Office quoted him as saying.
He told the relevant agencies to complete all necessary steps by November and submit a progress report. He also ordered an AI-assisted cancer early-detection system with Alibaba at the earliest, and a 15-day AI training course for IT graduates under the IT ministry's Ignite programme.
A memorandum of understanding was signed at Alibaba's Hangzhou headquarters during the prime minister's visit to China in May. The meeting was told that a Pakistan pavilion is now live on Alibaba's platform and that digital verification of trade documents through Pakistan Single Window is operational.
The oil and gas regulator Ogra was told to introduce an analytics-based system to monitor the petroleum supply chain, and the Export Promotion Board will work with Alibaba to lift exports. Work is also under way on AI farm models, tobacco track-and-trace and digital platforms for citrus and olive exports, while SMEDA and Alibaba are launching a two-year programme to help small businesses reach global markets.