Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Atta Ullah Tarar, highlighted the need for an ethical framework to ensure the fair and sustainable application of artificial intelligence (AI) during a panel discussion at the ‘International Strategic Communication Summit 2024 (Stratcom) in Istanbul.
The panel, titled “AI in National Strategy: Government Perspectives on Digital Transformation and Strategic Communication,” included prominent figures, such as Laurence Ndong, Minister of Communication and Media of Gabon; Ziad Makary, Minister of Information of Lebanon; Dejan Ristic, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia; and Yawa Ahofa Kouigan, Minister of Communication, Media and Culture of Togo.
In his speech, Minister Tarar highlighted both the opportunities that AI offers and the challenges it poses. He highlighted the importance of integrating AI in ways that uphold the truth, promote social justice, uphold ethical standards, and combat misinformation.
Tarar presented his country’s vision of Digital Pakistan, which aims to transform the country into a knowledge-based economy. He announced an ambitious plan to provide IT training to one million students by 2025 to help them harness AI technologies effectively. Additionally, he highlighted the Pakistan Digital Dialogue project as an example of using generative AI and large language models (LLM) to develop communication strategies based on audience feedback and anticipated needs.
He further discussed the potential of AI to drive innovation in sectors such as agriculture (AgriTech), healthcare (HealthTech), education (EdTech), governance (GovTech) and finance ( FinTech), highlighting its role in improving the economy and public welfare. .
Addressing the risks of misuse of AI, Tarar highlighted its role in the spread of disinformation, particularly during humanitarian crises like those in Gaza and the censorship of Kashmir-related topics on social media.
“While promoting investments in AI, we must prioritize combating the risks of disinformation,” he said.
The Stratcom Summit 2024, themed “AI in Communication: Trends, Pitfalls and Transition”, organized by the Presidential Communications Directorate, will be held on December 13-14 in Istanbul, bringing together world leaders to explore the evolving role of AI in strategic communication.
