Chinese firm shows interest in Punjab IT sector

Chinese technology giant Alibaba Cloud expressed keen interest in Punjab's IT sector and praised the provincial government's initiatives for artificial intelligence-based governance, during a meeting of its delegation with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday.

According to a handout issued here, potential strategic partnership between the Punjab government and the company for utilising AI in public services, including agriculture, healthcare, socio-economic programmes and climate forecasting, was discussed in the meeting.

The chief minister said the Punjab government was actively integrating AI into its governance framework to enhance public service delivery and efficiency.."We are pursuing a policy of adopting artificial intelligence and advanced technologies today rather than waiting for tomorrow," she remarked, welcoming Chinese cooperation in AI and information technology.

She said Punjab had become the first province in Pakistan with an AI initiative of training cabinet members and government officers.

CM Maryam Nawaz shared that she had been inspired by observing students in Beijing to make AI education mandatory from Grade 1 in government schools across Punjab to equip the coming generation for the global digital economy.

She briefed the delegation on major health projects, including the construction of the world's largest public-sector cancer hospital in Punjab.

Alibaba Cloud Senior Vice President Li Jiapeng briefed the chief minister on the company's global operations and technological expertise.

He welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and expressed keenness to explore expanded cooperation with Pakistan.

He noted that AI technology was currently being utilised for media campaigns and medical training, adding that it could significantly assist in cancer diagnosis and treatment.