Need to cut reliance on foreign AI solutions

Without developing local AI capabilities, Pakistan may become increasingly dependent on foreign AI solutions,” said ByeongJo Kong, Digital Technology Specialist (Data Analytics & Big Data) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in response to an emailed query. This dependency not only incurs higher costs but could also place critical infrastructure and systems under the control of foreign entities, creating potential economic and security vulnerabilities, he explained. AI should be built to address the country’s specific needs and challenges, said Fatima Yasmin, the Vice-President for Sectors and Themes of the Asian Development Bank. The first wave of AI may increase the gap between countries. This is what appears to be happening in Pakistan, which is lagging behind its peers in AI adoption Lessons from India In India, AI has found its way to several applications. For example, in Tamil Nadu, army-grade AI surveillance is being used to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. AI cameras have been installed on 12 towers along two key rail tracks, which alert forest and railway authorities that elephants are within 100 feet of the tracks. So far, it has detected nearly 400 instances of elephants approaching railway tracks. Given its success, Tamil Nadu plans to expand the AI-based system to other vulnerable areas across the state.