Key points
- One million AI professionals to be trained
- Pakistan targets 50,000 AI civic projects
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are set to establish a partnership in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, according to a report from Pakistani state media on Friday.
The announcement follows a meeting in Riyadh between Pakistan’s Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and the President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (DAIA), Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi.
The two officials explored ways to boost bilateral cooperation in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“The parties discussed leveraging Saudi Arabia’s ‘One Million Saudis in AI’ model to build capacity in artificial intelligence and emphasized mutual cooperation in the goal of training one million AI professionals in Pakistan,” the broadcaster reported.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 seeks to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil dependency by modernising key sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, information technology, recreation, and tourism.
In July, Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved its National AI Policy 2025, aiming to make artificial intelligence more accessible in public services and create new job opportunities for young people.
The policy also sets targets to initiate 50,000 AI-based civic projects and develop 1,000 local AI products over the next five years. The government also plans to make AI education more inclusive by offering 3,000 AI scholarships annually and supporting 1,000 research projects.
Impactful initiatives
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share strong religious, cultural, diplomatic, and strategic relations, particularly in trade and defence. The Kingdom hosts over two million Pakistani expatriates, who contribute significantly to Pakistan’s economy as the largest source of remittances.
Before meeting the DAIA president, Khawaja represented Pakistan at the Global Cybersecurity Forum 2025 in Riyadh.
The forum aims to enhance global cyber resilience through collaborative international efforts, constructive dialogue, and impactful initiatives.
“She emphasized Pakistan’s vision for secure digital transformation, cyber capacity building, and international tech cooperation,” Radio Pakistan reported.
