Ministry of IT has Denied Involvement in Zahanat AI

The Federal Minister for IT recently promoted the chatbot application Zahanat AI as Pakistan’s first GPT, however the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) has denied any role in its development.

The Ministry explained in a written statement to the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom that the project is entirely being developed by the private sector and has no connection to the government.

The Ministry claims that the minister’s remarks about the introduction of Zahanat AI alluded to a privately created undertaking rather than a project supported by the government. The government does not directly own or have any affiliation with the chatbot, MOITT emphasized. Additionally, the Ministry restated its position that it is committed to promoting innovation and assisting the private sector in implementing new technology.

The Ministry continuously encourages the development of cutting-edge technology and supports private sector innovation, but it does not take credit for projects that are started by private parties, the official answer stressed. The main purpose of the explanation was to clear up any misunderstandings which were caused by the public statement of minister.

In its response, MOITT also mentioned A different public sector project that entails creating an indigenous Large Language Model (LLM). A Memorandum was signed by The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Jazz, and the National Information Technology Board (NITB). The memorandum manages the execution of this project.

The LLM project, according to the Ministry, is concentrated on developing a local AI model that will assist in utilizing artificial intelligence to improve creativity, effectiveness, and transparency in a variety of industries. It is a major step in the direction of government-led initiatives to improve Pakistan’s IT infrastructure.