Islamabad:Artificial intelligence (AI) should be integrated into institutional systems through ethical governance rather than being viewed merely as an individual productivity tool, said speakers at the launch of a series of books on AI and Technology Governance.
The books-launch event was organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). The books included “Artificial Intelligence ethics: a maturity assessment framework,” “Artificial Intelligence implementation guide: transforming to AI using AI4mation” and “Artificial Intelligence and the University in the Global South: transforming to meet the challenge” and were authored by Azhar Zia-ur-Rehman.
Presenting his work, Mr Rehman said he had first introduced the concept of technology governance. He further said the European Union's AI Act underscored the growing importance of ethics in AI because of the technology's transformative nature. His latest work, he explained, consolidates global knowledge on AI governance and proposes a comprehensive framework consisting of 1,941 measurable governance activities.
Dr Zafar Ullah Koreshi, Chief Executive, Solved Engineering Technologies Limited, said AI represented an entirely new experience for older generations while today's youths had grown up alongside digital technologies. Reflecting on his own career, he recalled introducing Mechatronics Engineering at Air University, whose graduates were now serving across Pakistan.
Dr Koreshi said the author's work appropriately began with the historical evolution of universities, including ancient learning centres such as Taxila, before explaining industrial revolutions and AI. He argued that despite rapid technological advances, human intelligence remained superior to AI.
He maintained that the principal challenge facing universities was no longer whether AI should be used, but how it should be governed in an era where information and AI-generated outputs were abundant. He praised the book's discussion on university governance, pedagogy and institutional management in the AI era.
He warned that AI effectiveness depended heavily on sound data management and governance systems. He criticised the commercialisation of higher education, saying excessive focus on profits in some private universities compromised educational quality and values.
Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, said Mr Rehman is an internationally recognised researcher, consultant and expert on management systems, who had emerged as an authority on AI governance. He said the author pioneered three high-quality books on the subject and had been assisting governments and organisations worldwide in preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI adoption.
Dr Sajid Amin Javed, Deputy Executive Director (Research), SDPI, said that discussions in Pakistan largely revolved around how individuals use AI, whereas the more important question was whether organisations and institutions were prepared to integrate AI into their existing systems.
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