In exploring the latest developments in AI within Pakistan, one trend stands out: youth involvement in AI marks a significant generational transition already under way, redefining opportunity, authority and the social contract between generations. Consider the story of a school-aged student from Sindh who taught himself to code and created an AI-powered robot that responds to voice commands. Teenagers have earned global certifications in generative AI and taken the initiative to teach university students. Young girls have developed AI tools aimed at tackling women’s health issues and garnered international recognition in competitions. While these narratives transcend geography and gender, they reveal a fundamental reality: Pakistan’s youth are not waiting for the future; they are actively shaping it.

AI is reshaping how young people learn, earn, communicate and imagine their futures. It opens doors to education, entrepreneurship and global opportunities that previous generations could scarcely imagine. Yet for young women, it also introduces new risks, vulnerabilities and tensions with deeply rooted social norms. With nearly two-thirds of its population under the age of 30, Pakistan stands at a demographic crossroads just as AI is advancing faster than policies, institutions and protections. The real question is not whether AI will shape Pakistan’s future — it already is — but whether it will evolve into a chaotic force or a structured path towards an inclusive, safe and dignified future.

Pakistan’s large youth population and rapid technological change are converging to transform not only the economy but also social norms, gender relations and the unspoken contract between generations. For a largely conservative society, this transformation brings extraordinary opportunities alongside complex risks. AI-powered tools are already embedded in the daily lives of young people, from learning applications and content creation to freelancing platforms and online businesses. For many young women, the ability to study or earn from home is not a convenience; it is a lifeline. In contexts where mobility is restricted and public spaces remain unequal, digital technologies can bypass long-standing barriers that have limited girls’ participation in education and the workforce. Yet if these digital spaces are not made safe through policy and protection, that lifeline can quickly become a new site of vulnerability.

AI has dramatically amplified technology-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly against young women. Through deepfake images and AI-generated harassment, abuse is no longer confined to comment sections; it has become a tool for blackmail and silencing. It can begin online and escalate into physical spaces, or vice versa, creating a dangerous continuum of abuse that may culminate in extreme violence, including femicide. The consequences extend beyond the digital realm to reputational damage, social exclusion, psychological harm, forced withdrawal from education and even physical danger. Many young women choose silence over reporting abuse because of the high social cost of speaking out. Response services have struggled to adapt and often lack an understanding of the complex nature of such abuse. Major gaps remain in providing comprehensive, survivor-centred support, including inadequate legal frameworks, a limited specialised social services workforce and insufficient capacity within law enforcement to respond effectively to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The anonymity and sophistication of AI-enabled abuse require specialised training, methods and survivor support mechanisms. Without urgent safeguards, AI risks reinforcing control over young women’s bodies, voices and choices rather than expanding their freedom.

AI is also reshaping how young people navigate conservative social norms. Digital anonymity, private online spaces and AI-mediated interactions allow youth to explore ideas, identities and relationships that may not be acceptable or even discussable offline. This shift is neither inherently good nor bad, but it is transformative. While expanded access to information has created new opportunities, it has also increased vulnerabilities. The trust some young people place in AI models has, in certain cases, led to grooming for harmful practices and even suicide.

For generations, authority within families and institutions relied on visibility and supervision. AI disrupts this model, enabling young people to learn, earn, socialise and express themselves beyond the gaze of parents, teachers or community elders. Ignoring this reality widens the gap between expectations rooted in control and a digital world built on autonomy, eroding trust between parents and children, institutions and youth, and ultimately between the state and its citizens.

AI also alters perceptions of effort, ambition and success. When content is generated instantly, tasks automated and rewards appear without visible struggle, some young people may gravitate towards digital comfort zones and quick gains rather than long-term skill-building. This is not a failure of character but a predictable outcome of poorly guided technological exposure. The real risk is not that youth lack ambition, but that systems fail to channel AI towards learning, creativity and meaningful work. Without guidance, AI can dull critical thinking, weaken resilience and erode the link between effort and achievement. A society that seeks responsible, capable citizens cannot outsource ethics, discipline and growth to algorithms.

From UNFPA’s perspective, this requires protecting young women from AI-enabled harm through updated laws, a trained social services workforce, strengthened reporting and response mechanisms, and enhanced digital forensic capacity to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence. It means building digital ethics and resilience alongside skills, ensuring that AI literacy includes critical thinking, consent, online safety and respect. It requires open dialogue about changing social norms and the inclusion of youth, especially young women, in decisions about AI, digital safety and the future of work.

AI is already rewriting Pakistan’s social contract, redefining authority, opportunity, protection and power. The choice before the country is whether this transformation will be driven by fear and restriction or by guidance, protection and trust. Pakistan’s youth do not need less technology; they need safer systems, clearer values and adults willing to engage honestly with a changing world. Young women deserve protection that does not come at the cost of their voice or ambition.

When youth are supported rather than constrained, and protected rather than silenced, they become powerful agents of positive change. Pakistan’s future will not be determined by algorithms alone, but by the choices made today about how technology serves people, upholds values, protects rights and expands opportunities — especially for its daughters.

Dr Luay ShabanehThe writer is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Pakistan. He tweets @ShabanehLuay

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