WHEN asked what he would dress up as for Halloween, a 10-year-old boy I know responded, “Claude, because there’s nothing scarier than AI.” Whether you consider this funny or astute, it highlights the pervasiveness of the AI bogeyman. And the best thing to do with your fears is face them.

So it was good to see Pakistan play a prominent role at the recent Global Digital and AI Summit in Seoul and ramp up engagement with the World Bank to support the country’s digital transformation through a Digital and AI Compact. Pakistan has committed to spending $1 billion on AI by 2030 and is cracking on with plans to digitise 12 key sectors by 2035 under the National Digital Master Plan.

As the momentum builds, we must ask: how will Pakistan fund investment in AI? And what makes digital transformation and AI adoption capable of overcoming structural issues that have held back traditional activities like manufacturing?

AI use — particularly localised AI development and large language model (LLM) training — requires an immense and stable energy supply, high-speed internet and data storage, none of which are readily available in Pakistan. While efforts are underway to boost 5G spectrum and satellite access, the........

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