AI and Public Governance in Pakistan: Toward a Prescriptive Model of Regulation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming governance systems across the globe, offering unprecedented potential for improving public service delivery, predictive policymaking, and administrative efficiency. However, in the context of Pakistan—and South Asia more broadly—this technological leap risks exacerbating institutional asymmetries and deepening public mistrust if not anchored in ethical, transparent, and locally grounded regulatory frameworks.

This study explores the current landscape of AI integration within Pakistan’s public governance ecosystem and critically examines its regulatory voids. Drawing on qualitative interviews with policymakers, technocrats, and civil society actors, the research identifies key challenges: lack of institutional capacity, absence of citizen safeguards, and overreliance on foreign technological models ill-suited to local realities. The study proposes a prescriptive model of AI regulation that emphasizes participatory design, multi-stakeholder oversight, data sovereignty, and public accountability—elements crucial for ensuring that AI applications reinforce democratic governance rather than undermine it.

The paper aligns with the conference’s core theme by situating the AI-governance interface within South Asia’s evolving administrative futures. It argues for a regional rethinking of digital transformation that is attuned to the political economy, cultural values, and institutional constraints of the Global South. In doing so, the research contributes to an emergent discourse on how AI can serve as an enabler—not a disruptor—of equitable and responsive governance in South Asia.


Key words: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Public Governance, Regulatory Framework