ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia plan to forge a partnership in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.

The report came after Pakistani IT and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja’s meeting with President of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (DAIA) Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi in Riyadh.

The two figures discussed promoting enhanced bilateral cooperation under the framework of Saudi Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“The parties discussed leveraging Saudi Arabia’s ‘One Million Saudis in AI’ model to build capacity in artificial intelligence and emphasized mutual cooperation in the goal of training one million AI professionals in Pakistan,” the broadcaster reported.

Saudi Arabia is consolidating its economy on modern lines under the Vision 2030, which is a strategic development framework intended to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil. It is aimed at developing public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, information technology (IT), recreation and tourism.

In July, Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved the National AI Policy 2025 to democratize artificial intelligence, aiming to enhance public services and generate employment opportunities for the youth.

The national policy also aims to create 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 local AI products in the next five years, according to Pakistani state media. The government intends to make the use of AI inclusive through the distribution of 3,000 annual AI scholarships and facilitate 1,000 research projects, the state media said.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have close religious, cultural, diplomatic and strategic ties, particularly in trade and defense. The Kingdom is home to over two million Pakistani expatriates, who are the largest source of remittances to the South Asian country.

Prior to her meeting with the DAIA chief, Khawaja represented Pakistan at the Global Cybersecurity Forum 2025 in Riyadh. The initiative seeks to strengthen global cyber resilience by advancing international collaboration, purposeful dialogue and impactful initiatives.

“She emphasized Pakistan’s vision for secure digital transformation, cyber capacity building, and international tech cooperation,” Radio Pakistan reported.