The National Convening on Responsible AI in Education brought together government, research, policy, donor, EdTech and civil society stakeholders at the Pakistan Institute of Education in Islamabad on August 19, marking a significant gathering focused on how artificial intelligence could be responsibly integrated into Pakistan’s education system. The convening was held under the DARE Research Consortium’s scoping study, titled Responsible AI Integration in Education in Pakistan: Mapping Policy, Equity Gaps and Systemic Interventions, and explored what responsible AI adoption could mean for the country’s education system as it looks toward a new federal education policy.
A research team from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, led by Dr. Farah Nadeem, Dr. Maryam Mustafa and Annum Sadiq, shared preliminary findings from the study, benchmarking Pakistan against global AI in education frameworks and highlighting key areas requiring intervention. The presentation anchored the day’s broader discussion, drawing on research assistants Mina Shazia Shoaib and Muhammad Usama Hameed for talking points, participant briefs and event logistics, alongside contributions from researchers working on related projects within the same space.
The discussion centered on a set of critical questions facing Pakistan’s education system as AI adoption accelerates, including how to protect data and privacy for marginalized learners, what infrastructure and investment responsible AI would require, how to build teacher capacity to use AI meaningfully, where AI fits within curriculum and assessment, how AI could support education during crises and in low resource settings, and how to keep people rather than technology at the center of education. One message emerged clearly from the day’s discussions, that responsible AI adoption will require more than technology alone, demanding institutional coordination, clear protocols, investment and a shared vision for how AI can strengthen education without widening existing inequities.
The convening was supported by the DARE Research Consortium, with input from Dr. Ehtasham Anwar, Saima Anwar and Kamran Khan, alongside the Pakistan Institute of Education, which organizers credited with bringing together a rich cross section of voices spanning government, research, policy, donor, EdTech and civil society perspectives. Perspectives and priorities raised during the convening are set to feed into DARE-RC’s ongoing scoping study, with organizers describing the event as part of a growing portfolio of work exploring the intersection of AI, education systems and equity in Pakistan, alongside noting potential for future advisory collaborations with global entities such as the World Bank and UNICEF on AI and education policy in low resource contexts.
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