Pakistan Ranks among Top Global AI Users
Pakistan has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest user of AI tools. An achievement that brings both exciting opportunities and serious challenges. While enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is strong, the country is also grappling with pressing questions around jobs, ethics, and regulation.
A recent study by the Schwartz Reisman Institute, which surveyed 21 countries, ranked Pakistan just behind India, Kenya, and Brazil in AI adoption. Among Pakistani respondents, 65% viewed AI positively, though 13% raised concerns about issues such as job displacement and overdependence on automation.
Experts note that for developing economies like Pakistan, AI holds the promise of job creation, economic growth, and improved public services. However, industry leaders caution that the technology is already disrupting IT and service-sector jobs, while also eroding problem-solving skills among workers who rely too heavily on chatbots and automated tools.
The AI Dilemma in Advanced Economies
In contrast, advanced economies tend to be more skeptical. In countries like the US, France, and Australia, more than one-third of respondents expressed negative views of AI, citing concerns about misinformation, political polarization, and the risk of white-collar job losses.
Pakistan, meanwhile, is aiming higher than simple adoption. The country has developed its own homegrown chatbot, Zahanat AI, tailored for local languages. At a recent UNESCO dialogue on “AI for Humanity,” stakeholders from various sectors emphasized the need for ethical and inclusive approaches to AI, aligned with the National AI Policy
Mehwish Salman Ali, Co-Founder of Zahanat AI said, “Equipping citizens with AI skills is critical to unlocking Pakistan’s demographic potential”, She also said “Without digital readiness, our population risks becoming an untapped asset.”
At the CIO Global 200 Summit, Umair Azam, CEO of Integration Xperts, cautioned that unchecked reliance on AI threatens both credibility and critical thinking. He called on businesses to designate “AI champions” and urged policymakers to establish clear ethical standards.
With more than 146 million broadband users, Pakistan holds significant potential to leverage AI. Yet, a P@SHA survey found that some companies are already reducing hiring as automation expands raising difficult questions about how prepared the country is for an AI-powered future.
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