Whether it evolves into our greatest creation or an existential threat, the future is undoubtedly artificial intelligence (AI), and we are moving towards it. We are advancing at lightning speed. Exploring its reach, AI is already evolving the future of the workforce, spilling across sectors, roles and skills.
According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs 2023 report, more than 75% of surveyed companies are considering adopting AI in the next five years. The survey sample comprises his 800+ companies across 27 industrial clusters and 46 economies, which account for 88% of global GDP.
We all know that no industry or sector is immune to AI restructuring. Similarly, the fastest growing roles are also AI and technology centric.
According to the WEF report, these include AI and machine learning professionals, business intelligence analysts, information security/cybersecurity professionals, and more.
Clerical and managerial jobs, on the other hand, will decline the fastest, as they are most at risk of being replaced by digitization and automation, let alone AI.
When it comes to skills, in the age of AI, cognitive skills (critical thinking, creativity, continuous learning, etc.), technical skills, and surprising Emotional intelligence is becoming more and more important.
Pakistan remains an astronomical distance from the reputed global center of technology and innovation. There is some recognition of the fact that Pakistan needs to flag Planet AI.
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Relatively operational or recently launched initiatives include, among others, the Presidential AI and Computing Initiative (PIAIC), the Jungpak AI Center, drafting AI policy drafts, and launching a national task force on AI. included.
Before starting to create research institutes and centers of excellence, Pakistan’s policy focus should be on fostering a shift in thinking about AI and disruptive technologies.
These efforts represent a wonderful combination of good intentions and remarkable ambition, but the inherent fragmentation of both effort and focus leaves them facing a common challenge to gain sustained momentum. face, and as a result, the formation of a stable foundation on which to build is hindered.
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Across all these efforts, 10 policy priorities and directions are on a critical path for Pakistan to gain a foothold in the world of AI and 4IR technologies, especially in light of the rapidly changing job market.
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Non-political agenda: The only way to lay a strong foundation and build upwards is to shield Pakistan’s AI agenda from political instability. Progress will be gradual, especially if it has to be done from below ‘Ground Zero’. It takes time and iteration, learning through successes and failures. National AI mandates tied to political campaigns are doomed before they even begin.
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AI Literacy Focused on the Public Sector: This alone is a huge undertaking and separate from AI education. The purpose of Creating Literacy is to foster a shift in thinking and attitudes towards AI, with a focus on immersive public awareness and foundational knowledge creation. It should target the private sector workforce, but more importantly the public sector. A major problem in operating national programs in Pakistan is the inadequate capacity of the public sector to promote them. Sometimes it is not generally accepted that such obligations fall within the promotion responsibilities of States and their agencies. As a result, many initiatives are derailed, shelved, repackaged (leading to further fragmentation and dilution), or worse, creating new spaces for rent-seeking to thrive. I am
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Digitized Government: A carriage cannot be placed in front of a horse. In an environment where ‘files’ are still ‘on the move’, it’s hard to imagine the integration of AI. Digitizing internal and external government agencies, functions, and processes with interoperable systems that “talk” to each other, integrate and accelerate data analysis, and provide user-friendly interfaces , is an unavoidable prerequisite. This creates much-needed transparency, agility, and a digital architecture that overlays 4IR technologies, while also enabling changes in behavior and attitudes within the public sector towards disruptive technologies. Combined with AI literacy, it establishes a foundation for AI capacity building and acceptance within the public sector. As for AI itself, the integration of AI into e-government is arguably the next frontier in public services, already underway in countries such as Singapore.
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Systematic private sector integration: Encouraging private sector participation is an important factor. A significant amount of both expertise and investment resides in the private sector. Dense it is synonymous with developing a domestic market for AI and other his 4IR technologies and building the workforce of the future. Additionally, governments can create cross-sectoral platforms and consortia that sit at the table but do not rule. Such platforms provide an open space for the creation of ideas and knowledge, and an interface for government and industry to soundboard AI and technology-related policies and programs.
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Tech-focused Diplomacy: Building bridges is not just limited to the private sector. This includes critically placing AI and disruptive technologies on Pakistan’s foreign policy agenda in the medium to long term to strategically build government-to-government (G2G) partnerships. The United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Finland, Canada, South Korea, and China, among others, are leading development and promoting the integration of AI in governance and the economy. Each country has its own focus and strengths in the areas of AI and disruptive technologies. AI-centric diplomacy involves exploring G2G relationships in a deliberate and mutually beneficial way, with the aim of bringing home and indigenous the unique expertise provided by global partners through knowledge and technology transfer. It is included.
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AI Future Force Development: Borrowing the terminology commonly used in security and defense planning, we clearly recognize rapidly evolving roles and skills in growing demand, and a growing domestic skills shortage. I am very aware of that.according to [email protected]Pakistan has over 300,000 IT professionals, producing more than 25,000 graduates each year, according to its 2022 report, “The Big Gap: The Skills Gap Between Industry and Academia.” Of these, only 10% are considered “employable” by the industry. And this is not considering his 4IR technology. Underlying state-led initiatives (key to partnerships with the private sector, research institutes and innovators) will strategically plan the state workforce to be well-equipped to meet the demands of the AI-driven future market. doing. This includes predicting and identifying technical and cognitive skills that are in high demand in the short and long term, and deploying targeted programs that impact different stages of the learning lifecycle to phase those skills. development over a long period of time (beginner to advanced). curriculum education, vocational training, upskilling/reskilling, “train the trainer” programs, fellowship and exchange programs, etc.). The main measurable goal is to produce a target number of skilled graduates and professionals within the specified timeframe, especially across various STEM fields including AI and his 4IR technology.
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Innovation heaven: While there are several barriers to entry and growth in a volatile political economy, policy measures that support innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems will largely reduce the cost burden for businesses and increase their ability to commercialize and market. It revolves around ease of access. Effective efforts can be made directly through interventions such as tax breaks on R&D assets, provision of government support or low-cost technology infrastructure to support start-ups and emerging technology companies, creation of one-window licenses and IP operations. would alleviate the problem.
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Dual Use Technology (DUT): AI is one of the key technologies for DUT, which can be used not only for national security and defense, but also for socio-economic progress. Such DUTs must be tightly controlled and monitored, but given the capabilities of the defense sector and the large portion of the national budget, both parts are devoted to the initiation, development and operationalization of next-generation dual-use technologies. is justified.
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Cyber security: Deeper connectivity, interoperability, and increased complexity increase the surface area of potential vulnerability to larger and more sophisticated cyberthreats. We are committed to testing the potential of AI and harnessing its power, while also assessing its potential dangers, building fail-safes and patching vulnerabilities along the way. Must apply. This includes developing unique cybersecurity skills and a “build by design” approach to building systems and networks that focus not only on threat protection, but more importantly on threat resilience. need to be hired.
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Foresighted decision making: AI is not static. AI policies in place today could become obsolete by next year. Policy priorities related to 4IR require agility and foresight as part of the proverbial DNA. A continuous stream of structured horizon and threat scans and future predictions should be systematically incorporated into such policies and programs and regularly updated to ensure continued relevance and upgrades. I have.
Therefore, key success indicators for policy measures are gaining attention. It’s not about the amount of real estate or the headlines dedicated to AI and other of his 4IR technologies. Rather, it is the output of knowledge and innovation, the quality of talent produced, the degree of public awareness and the degree of private sector influx.
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Before beginning the creation of research laboratories and centers of excellence, Pakistan’s policy focus will be on fostering a change in attitudes towards AI and disruptive technologies, and developing the human resources and systems that will revitalize and put such technologies into practice. to systematically and cooperatively stimulate .
This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owner.
