AI at the helm: a bold roadmap for transforming universities

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In a world rapidly shaped by artificial intelligence, Pakistan's higher education sector cannot afford to remain on the sidelines. The recent five-year economic transformation plan of Pakistan, Uraan, unveiled on 1st January 2025, emphasises AI as a driving force for growth, innovation and societal progress. Higher education institutions must rise to meet this challenge if we wish to nurture graduates who can excel in these modern times with skills to make use of generative AI models in their learnings.

AI's impact on teaching and learning extends far beyond flashy digital robotic tools. At its best, AI is about personalising the academic journey, allowing students to learn at their own pace while still engaging in collaborative classroom experiences. In Pakistan, however, many disciplines in higher education remain bound by rigid syllabi that barely acknowledge the rise of these emerging technologies. The mismatch between outdated content and the relentless advance of AI calls is being seen in a strong decline in students enrolment in these disciplines, calling for an urgent overhaul. Curricula must be dynamic, involving modules on machine learning, data ethics and computational thinking to prepare students for a workforce hungry for these skills.

I was reminded of this urgency while attending a talk at University of Management and Technology (UMT), titled Minds and Machines: The Human Factor in the AI Revolution, delivered by Stephen Brobst, an MIT-Harvard guru on AI. He quoted ideas from the book Power and Progress by the authors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson who received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics. He mentioned that banning or restricting AI in higher education is like an ostrich putting its head in the sand. He argued that the real benefit of AI would be to boost productivity across sectors and would actually create more employment opportunities, rather than eliminate them.

Stephen spoke of blending human intuition with advanced technology, highlighting that although algorithms can crunch vast quantities of data, the spark of innovation and context-driven insights come from people. He also mentioned that Pakistan's youth, just like in neighbouring India, has the potential to make huge strides in the AI revolution if we seize opportunities in advancing our learnings at higher education institutions and pursuing entrepreneurship and skill development. His insights underscored how universities in Pakistan cannot ignore AI's transformative power if we truly wish to evolve as future oriented universities.

Many universities lack reliable high-speed internet or the computing infrastructure needed to train robust AI models. Faculty with hands-on AI experience are also in short supply, partly due to limited professional development opportunities. If we are serious about realising Uraan's vision, we must bridge these infrastructural and expertise gaps through targeted funding for universities and via strategic partnerships with local industries and international institutions.

Employers in Pakistan have long complained of a growing divide between academic qualifications and real-world demands. This gap is more evident than ever in the applications of AI, where skills in data science, natural language processing and deep learning are rapidly becoming prerequisites. Universities should cultivate stronger links with the private sector, inviting guest speakers, launching collaborative research projects and offering students real-world case studies. UMT, for example, arranged recently a talk by Usman Asif, the Founder and CEO of DevSinc, a leading tech company in Lahore with a mission to create 80,000 jobs in Pakistan. Such initiatives not only enrich the learning beyond the classroom experience of our students but also ensure graduates have marketable skills from day one.

AI's power comes along with ethical dilemmas that universities must address, especially when preparing future professionals. Automation of simpler tasks can displace unskilled workers, data misuse can jeopardise privacy and unchecked algorithms or use of unreliable data can foster bias. By integrating ethical AI modules into degree programmes, we can produce graduates who are keenly aware of these risks. The Uraan plan emphasises responsible innovation, making it all the more important for universities to train students to build, deploy and regulate AI systems with integrity.

Modern research in AI thrives on synergy between disciplines. To encourage cross-disciplinary ideas, universities should create platforms where computer scientists, economists, sociologists and psychologists can share insights and co-develop solutions. This collaborative ethos, supported by strong university leadership, can help transform higher education into a vibrant ecosystem that drives Pakistan's competitive position in the world, especially in the adoption of emerging technologies.

Next few years will prove decisive for Pakistan's universities and each institution now stands at a pivotal moment in its history. Embracing AI must be seen not as a mere upgrade but as a transformation that redefines how we teach, learn and create. We need far-reaching reforms in curricula, more robust infrastructure, stronger faculty development and an unwavering commitment to ethics as we adopt AI. Uraan offers a bold blueprint for our future, yet it will succeed only if our universities commit to forward-looking strategies that address the realities of an AI-driven world.

Crucially, a structured roadmap is needed to guide Pakistani universities toward fully embracing AI in their degrees, programmes and courses. The overarching vision is to harness AI as a primary tool for delivering structured and certified university-level education, shifting the core business from reliance on books, teachers, classrooms and traditional exams to an AI-based framework that optimises learning efficiencies. This transformation requires two key steps.

Step 1 involves converting all educational content - be it from books, research articles or other resources - into specialised Subject AI Models, thus substantially reducing the need for printed textbooks and providing continuously updated knowledge repositories.

Step 2 calls for delivering most of the instruction through these Subject AI Models, with human educators stepping in only when guidance, ethical judgement or deeper discussion is required. In tandem, Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) must play a pivotal role as regulator and enabler: it can ensure responsible AI use, certify Subject AI Models, set guidelines to prevent misuse and incentivise universities to adopt and refine these AI tools. By establishing clear standards and certifications, the HEC can encourage institutions to invest in building robust AI systems and align teaching resources towards more productive, high-impact educational activities.

Now is the time for swift action. If our universities seize this opportunity, Pakistan can look ahead to a future of dynamic academic excellence, vibrant economic growth and a society enriched by emerging technologies.