KARACHI: Alibaba Cloud, in collaboration with Alkhidmat Foundation, has organised its first AI Hackathon in Pakistan at the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) Karachi.
The event brought together 430 shortlisted teams, selected from 16,000 applications, who presented and demonstrated their AI-based solutions before expert jury panels from technology, banking, healthcare, industry and academia.
Unlike conventional idea-based competitions, the hackathon focused on the development of working AI products. Participants were provided structured training, mentorship and access to AI development tools to help them build practical solutions.
Speaking on the occasion, Shahid Iqbal, Chief Executive Officer of Bano Qabil Pakistan, said the initiative marked an important step in enabling Pakistani youth to move beyond simply using AI technologies and begin building solutions for local and global challenges.
He said Bano Qabil aimed not only to equip young people with technical skills but also to create platforms where they could apply those skills, receive mentorship and connect with the wider technology ecosystem.
Yilan Zhuang, Head of Marketing for Middle East, Türkiye and Africa at Alibaba Cloud, underlined the importance of giving emerging talent access to international technology, expertise and platforms.
He said the hackathon offered participants cloud resources, AI development tools, expert mentorship, technical guidance and opportunities for national recognition. The programme, he added, was designed to help promising teams convert their ideas into practical and scalable AI solutions.
Keynote speaker Saad Shah, Chief Executive Officer of Hexalyze, said the rise of Artificial Intelligence in the technology sector had created both opportunities and challenges, making it essential for Pakistan to prepare its youth for the rapidly changing technology landscape.
He said the country’s future progress would depend on how effectively it trained its graduates and young people for an AI-driven economy.
“If we properly equip our graduates and youth for the AI universe, not only will our IT exports grow, but the entire IT ecosystem will transform, paving the way for a technology-driven society,” he said.
Shah also stressed the need to introduce AI education and applications from an early age, saying wider exposure to the technology would encourage its adoption and promote constructive and innovative use across society.
The initiative forms part of a broader partnership between Alibaba Cloud and Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan to equip young Pakistanis with globally relevant skills in AI and cloud computing.
Under the partnership, dedicated Alibaba Cloud training centres are being established through the Bano Qabil network in Karachi and Lahore. These centres will offer AI and cloud computing training aligned with Alibaba Cloud’s international curriculum.
