The Pakistan Digital Authority has joined UNESCO’s Global Network of AI Supervisory Authorities, known as GNAIS, a network that connects public bodies responsible for overseeing artificial intelligence. The network lets members share practical experience, coordinate policies and deal with the challenges of supervising AI. PDA said that AI does not stop at borders and that the work of keeping it safe cannot stop at them either, which is why it has taken a seat in the network.
UNESCO launched GNAIS at the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Bangkok in June 2025. It is co-chaired by Luxembourg’s National Commission for Data Protection and the Saudi Data and AI Authority. The network supports the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, which was adopted by 193 member states. By joining, PDA becomes part of a group of regulators and supervisory bodies that are working on similar questions about how to oversee AI systems in a way that protects people while allowing the technology to be used. Regular contact with these bodies can help members avoid repeating mistakes that others have already seen.
PDA’s role in AI oversight comes from the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025. Under the law, the authority is mandated to carry out oversight, set standards, enforce compliance and establish the frameworks and processes needed for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Membership in GNAIS gives PDA a way to compare its approach with the experience of other supervisory bodies as it builds those frameworks, and to see how other countries are dealing with problems such as accountability, standards and enforcement. Supervising AI is a new task for most public bodies, so exchanging practical lessons is a central purpose of the network.
PDA said that in the AI age algorithms and models cross physical borders easily, and that having a seat at the table means it is not regulated in isolation. The authority said it will learn from its peers, share its own experience and keep citizens’ rights at the centre of how AI is governed. The announcement did not describe specific projects or commitments that will come from the membership, so the practical effect will depend on how PDA uses the network as it develops its AI oversight work under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act. The move adds to PDA’s international engagement on digital governance, which has recently included talks with the World Bank on data governance, responsible AI and shared digital infrastructure.
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