Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has successfully concluded a three-day Tier-I Faculty Training Programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for lecturers and assistant professors from public sector higher education institutions. The initiative aimed to enhance the faculty’s capacity to integrate AI into various academic aspects, including teaching, research, and assessment.

According to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the training programme, titled “AI Literacy for Educators: Building AI-Ready Institutions,” trained about 400 faculty members, comprising 332 participants in the first cohort and approximately 64 in the second. Designed as a comprehensive professional development intervention, the programme combined conceptual understanding, practical exercises, critical reflection, and the application of AI in academic contexts.

Dr. Noor Amna Malik, Managing Director of NAHE (HEC), served as the chief guest at the programme’s opening and closing ceremonies. She addressed the participants on the ethical use of AI in higher education, emphasizing its rapid impact on knowledge creation and application. Dr. Malik stressed the importance of safeguarding academic integrity, critically evaluating AI outputs, and protecting privacy and intellectual property. She outlined the need for AI-ready institutions through institutional preparedness, governance mechanisms, ethical safeguards, and continuous professional development.

The programme covered foundational and applied concepts of AI, including machine learning, deep learning, large language models, and generative AI. It also explored discipline-specific AI applications in fields such as healthcare, business, banking, communication, and education, allowing participants to consider AI’s relevance within their academic disciplines.