{
  "id": 10357686,
  "title": "How can Pakistan make the most of China's proposed AI community at Brics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/how-can-pakistan-make-the-most-of-chinas-proposed-ai-community-at",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-28T04:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2033230/how-can-pakistan-make-the-most-of-chinas-proposed-ai-community-at-brics"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a crucial economic infrastructure, and China's proposal at the BRICS summit warrants attention. The proposal involves establishing a BRICS AI open-source community, which would facilitate cooperation in developing and applying large language models, organizing specialized AI training, and building an open ecosystem for participating countries. This initiative could significantly reduce the high barriers to entry for developing countries in the AI economy, as building frontier models from scratch demands substantial computing power, expensive data centres, vast datasets, and specialized talent, which most developing nations lack.\n\nOne strategy that open-weight models offer is a more cost-effective approach. These models can be downloaded, adapted, and built upon for specific languages, industries, and public services, thereby reducing the costs of experimentation and enabling countries to develop applications tailored to their unique needs. China has already made significant strides in this domain, with models such as Qwen, DeepSeek, Kimi, and GLM becoming available outside the leading Western technology companies.\n\nHowever, the open-weight approach does not necessarily imply fully open-sourcing the models. Some components, such as training data, development code, or other elements, may remain closed. The real opportunity lies beyond the models themselves. President Xi has also proposed a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform, digital-skills training, cooperation in smart manufacturing, and an engineer-training alliance. These proposals emphasize that AI adoption relies on infrastructure and human resources as much as software.\n\nFor Pakistan, this presents a significant opportunity. The country boasts a large population, a youthful workforce, and a well-established IT and IT-enabled services sector. By focusing on higher-value AI development, integration, and specialized services, Pakistan can transition without incurring the enormous costs associated with frontier AI development. Language applications offer one clear avenue, given that Urdu and Pakistan's regional languages are underrepresented in comparison to English and other major languages. A Pakistani AI ecosystem could adapt existing models to local languages, creating tools for translation, document processing, education, and public information.\n\nAgriculture also presents a practical use case. AI systems could incorporate weather information, crop data, satellite imagery, and local knowledge to provide farmers with timely advice. This would supplement rather than replace agricultural experts, thus extending their reach to communities with limited access to such resources. Similarly, AI-assisted systems in healthcare and education could facilitate medical record processing, support clinical workflows, improve access to basic information, and provide personalized assistance to students, while teachers leverage the technology to develop lessons and identify learning gaps.\n\nThe public sector should not be neglected. Pakistan's government generates vast volumes of regulations, statistics, court documents, administrative records, and public information. AI systems could streamline data searching and analysis, thereby reducing routine administrative tasks. Tax administration, for instance, could employ AI to detect anomalies and enhance communication with taxpayers.\n\nThe economic case for AI adoption in Pakistan is compelling. The nation has struggled to achieve sustained growth due to a lack of productivity and export expansion. AI offers a chance for Pakistan to develop and sell higher-value digital services to international markets, moving beyond competition based solely on labor costs. Pakistani firms could create specialized solutions for finance, logistics, agriculture, education, manufacturing, and other sectors. This necessitates investment in reliable electricity, improved connectivity, cloud infrastructure, data centers, and affordable access to computing. Universities must foster stronger ties with industry, ensuring that engineering and computer-science programs place greater emphasis on machine learning, data engineering, AI systems, and related disciplines. Collaborative efforts between China and BRICS countries could prove beneficial in this regard, providing Pakistan with access to joint computing facilities, technical training, research partnerships, and AI applications tailored to local industries. Moreover, leveraging BRICS platforms could enable Pakistan to secure access to infrastructure and expertise that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.\n\nHowever, AI governance remains a critical aspect of this endeavor. Pakistan must establish clear rules regarding data storage locations, access permissions, and the utilization of AI systems. Particularly sensitive government and infrastructure data should receive stringent protection. Simultaneously, regulations should not be so stringent that they hinder researchers and businesses from developing useful AI applications. India serves as a relevant example of striking a balance between AI capacity growth and data security, strategic autonomy, and technological dependence.\n\nUltimately, the practicality of these initiatives should be the guiding principle for Pakistan. Can a university train and fine-tune a model without prohibitive computing costs? Can a Pakistani company develop and market an AI product to global customers? Can a student access an effective AI tutor, and can a farmer benefit from useful AI-driven information in their native language? Can government departments process thousands of documents without compromising citizens' private data? These are the questions Pakistan must explore to ascertain the feasibility of harnessing AI for its economic growth and development.",
  "summary": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2033093",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Pakistan can leverage China's proposed BRICS AI open-source community to develop higher-value AI services, boost economic growth, and export digital services, by adapting existing models to local languages and industries.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}