'AI now critical to agricultural survival'

Population surge, climate change, outdated farming methods could push country toward food crisis

KARACHI:

Artificial intelligence has moved from being a futuristic concept to an urgent necessity for Pakistan's survival, particularly in agriculture, as the country faces mounting pressure from climate change, rapid population growth, and stagnant farm productivity, University of Karachi Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi warned on Wednesday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a one-day awareness seminar titled "Role of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture under Changing Climatic Conditions and Hands-on Training", Dr Iraqi cautioned that Pakistan could face a severe food shortage in the near future if bold policy decisions and technological reforms were not implemented without delay.

The seminar was organised by the Dr AQ Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KIBGE), University of Karachi, in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), NED University of Engineering and Technology, and was held at the KIBGE auditorium.

Dr Iraqi said Pakistan's agricultural output was increasingly failing to meet the needs of its rapidly growing population. "On one hand, the population is increasing at an alarming rate, and on the other, we have consistently failed to control this growth," he said, noting that countries such as Bangladesh, India, Singapore, and Malaysia had successfully managed population growth through timely and effective policies, while Pakistan continued to lag behind.

Federal Urdu University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari said that when modern technological thinking began in the last century, few could have imagined the pace at which technology would advance over the next two decades. He noted that rapid technological growth has introduced new challenges related to identity and security.