The 13th President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi has introduced the President Initiative for Artificial Intelligence Computing (PIAIC). The initiative is to serve as an interdisciplinary hub for mass education, research, and business in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, cloud computing, edge computing, blockchain and internet of things (IoT) related fields.
The aim of PIAIC is to make sure that Pakistan plays its part in this fourth industrial revolution and to transform education, research and business in Pakistan.
The initiative consists of three programs i.e. Artificial Intelligence, a one year program that is designed for absolute beginners. The program has four quarters that concentrate on Data Science, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning along with practice.
The second program under the PIAIC is the Cloud Native Computing and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Specialist. It is a one year cloud computing program designed for absolute beginners that is aimed at getting Pakistan ready for the new era of micro services and multi-cloud native computing.
The third and final program by PIAIC is the Blockchain Specialist, a one year blockchain program designed for absolute beginners that is aimed at getting Pakistan ready for the new era of blockchain, fintech and smart contract.
All the programs are divided into four quarters and will be focusing on different aspect of the field in question.
The program is currently operational in Karachi only. However it is soon to be launched in Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta. To become eligible to take part in these programs, students must: Submit the online application, get admit card attested at a PIAIC office, pass the entrance exam which consists of multiple choice English and Mathematics questions. Results are determined based on percentile and pass all PIAIC exams with an average score of at least 70%.
Classwork for each program is 3 hours per week, for a total of 36 hours per quarter or 144 hours for the entire year. The PIAIC also has an option for distance learning where students will take proctored exams on site, just like the onsite students.
The fee structure for onsite students is PKR 1,000 per month for 12 months, payable in 4 installments of PKR 3,000, before the start of each quarter. The fee structure for distance learning students is PKR 500 per month for 12 months, payable in 4 installments of PKR 1,500, before the start of each quarter. For more information, you can visit their official website.
