Lahore University of Management Sciences has been awarded a major multi-year grant by the Gates Foundation to establish Pakistan’s first nationally coordinated Artificial Intelligence Hub, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to harness data-driven technology for public health and broader development priorities. The National Artificial Intelligence Hub will be built in collaboration with Aga Khan University, bringing together two of Pakistan’s leading academic and medical institutions to develop artificial intelligence solutions targeting some of the country’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
The hub’s initial focus will be on maternal, newborn, and child health, an area where Pakistan faces some of the most severe outcomes in the region. The country’s maternal mortality rate stands at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births, with contributing factors including limited access to quality care, shortages of skilled health workers, weak referral systems, delayed management of obstetric complications, and barriers related to language, literacy, and socioeconomic status. Under the initiative, Lahore University of Management Sciences will contribute expertise in artificial intelligence, language technologies, gender and technology research, and digital public health innovation, while Aga Khan University will provide technical and clinical support, contribute to maternal health datasets, and assist with field testing of artificial intelligence-enabled interventions across diverse care settings. The hub aims to deploy evidence-based, locally relevant tools including risk prediction and decision-support systems, multilingual interfaces, and strengthened referral and follow-up mechanisms, with the explicit goal of moving beyond pilot projects and integrating these solutions into national care pathways for sustained impact.
Associate Professor of Computer Science at Lahore University of Management Sciences, Dr Maryam Mustafa, who leads the initiative, described the launch as a milestone moment for both the institution and the country, noting that maternal, newborn, and child health was chosen as the entry point because of where the need and the opportunity for immediate impact are greatest. The initiative builds on earlier work led by Dr Mustafa that demonstrated how voice technology and multilingual tools could support frontline health workers and improve care continuity in low-resource settings across Pakistan. Beyond its healthcare mandate, the hub is envisioned as a long-term national platform for responsible artificial intelligence innovation, encompassing capacity building, policy development, artificial intelligence governance, and support for startups, while advancing commitments under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030. With this investment, Pakistan joins a select group of countries building nationally coordinated artificial intelligence platforms for maternal and child health, while laying a foundation for broader cross-sectoral digital transformation in years ahead.
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