📢 From Vision to Reality: Highlights from the International Symposium on AI Governance and Risk Mitigation for Future-Ready Enterprises
📍 June 25, 2025 – National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

The International Symposium on AI Governance and Risk Mitigation for Future-Ready Enterprises convened leading experts from across Europe, the Middle East, and Pakistan to explore how the country can navigate emerging AI regulations while fostering ethical, inclusive, and globally competitive innovation.

💡 The idea stemmed from my ongoing work as Head of GENESIS, a research group focused on Explainable AI, Norms, Ethics, and Safety in Synthetic AI. We were fortunate to lead its conceptualization and coordination, with the hope of sparking meaningful dialogue and positioning Pakistan on the path toward responsible and inclusive AI adoption. It would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our partners, colleagues, speakers, and organizing teams who brought this vision to life with dedication and purpose.

💬 Key sessions featured:
🔹 Global experts on the EU AI Act, GDPR, and ISO 42001:2023
🔹 Local leaders in tech law, policy, ethics, and digital inclusion

🌐 Global Perspectives on AI Governance
🔹Jakub Szarmach, (Poland) on aligning with the EU AI Act, GDPR, and ISO standards
🔹David Oluwanisola, (UAE) on embedding ethics and compliance into startup models
🔹Samir Abi Abdallah, (Lebanon) on implementing ISO 42001:2023 for AI governance
🔹Mohammed Alyafei, (UAE) on establishing audit and risk oversight for AI in emerging economies

🇵🇰 Pakistan’s Readiness and Strategy
Moderated by Dr. Ayesha Nazuk, with key insights from:
🔹Azhar Zia-ur-Rehman on AI Ethics Maturity for Pakistani enterprises
🔹Ghulam Shabbir on AI-driven governance in the public sector
🔹Adam Jabbar on legal and compliance challenges for tech startups
🔹Asadullah Khan Niazi on national infrastructure and policy alignment
🔹Omer Ahmed Awan on inclusive AI for rural transformation and ICT4D

📌 Key Message:
AI governance must be proactive, cross-disciplinary, and inclusive. Building local capacity, regulatory readiness, and ethical frameworks is essential to Pakistan’s AI future.

🙏 We would like to extend sincere thanks to all speakers, experts, and participants for their valuable contributions, and to NUST SEECS, National Science & Technology Park, Deep Learning Laboratory DLL, and Digital Intellix-4PL for making this important event possible.

A special thanks to Humaira S. for her support and guidance at every step of the way.

We are also deeply grateful for the visionary leadership at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), whose encouragement and commitment to ethical innovation created the space for such critical conversations to take root and thrive.