Pakistan advances AI initiatives through training and hackathons

Pakistan is expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities through both large-scale competitions and government-led training programs. The Alibaba Cloud AI Hackathon Pakistan 2026 recently concluded in Islamabad, marking the country’s largest AI competition to date. The event featured 300 working projects from 749 finalists, who competed for a $60,000 prize pool across categories including smart agriculture, healthcare, education, financial inclusion, and regional language technology.

Complementing these private sector efforts, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a new 15-day AI training program specifically for IT graduates. The federal government is also directing authorities to integrate AI into public services, with specific mandates to develop systems for early cancer diagnosis and the monitoring of petroleum supply chains. These initiatives aim to modernize the national digital infrastructure and support economic growth through increased digitization.