Adviser to the Chief Minister of Punjab on Artificial Intelligence (AI), International Cooperation, and Special Initiatives Ali Dar has said that maintaining truth and public trust is the biggest challenge facing journalism in the rapidly evolving era of AI, which makes news verification and fact-checking more important than ever. He was addressing the Digital Journalism Impact event organised by Google and Tech Valley in Lahore on Wednesday. The event marked two years of the programme, which Tech Valley delivers in partnership with Google under the name Digital Sahafat and which trains journalists, media practitioners, and journalism students to use AI tools responsibly.
Ali Dar said that more than 4,000 journalists and students across Pakistan have so far received training under the Digital Journalism Program, including 846 participants from Punjab. He said the programme has equipped journalists with skills in news verification and access to modern AI tools, which can speed up and improve research, transcription, translation, and fact-checking. At the same time, he emphasised that training, professional skills, and journalistic integrity are essential for the responsible use of technology, since the tools themselves cannot decide what is accurate. AI, he said, is a powerful tool, but the responsibility to distinguish between truth and falsehood ultimately rests with journalists, guided by their professional values and integrity.
The adviser said that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif envisions transforming Punjab into the leading AI-enabled province of South Asia by 2029. To achieve this goal, he said, the provincial government is extending the use of AI across key sectors, from classrooms to newsrooms and beyond. He added that responsible use of AI could help Pakistani journalism compete globally and take the stories of the country to international audiences. The remarks fit with the focus of the training programme, which concentrates on regions where access to AI tools and training is limited and where newsrooms often have fewer resources to experiment with new technology.
Speaking about the performance of the provincial government, Ali Dar said that under the leadership of the chief minister, the Punjab government has shown its work through development initiatives over the past two and a half years. He claimed that even its critics acknowledge this performance and that no other provincial government has matched it, a view that reflects his own position and that of the government he serves. At the Lahore event, Google and Tech Valley said they would continue to expand the programme, with Digital Sahafat 3.0 planned to bring new training modules to journalists and journalism students and to work with news organisations on newsroom AI integration and stronger editorial workflows.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
