PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) has officially designated 2026 as the “Year of AI,” signaling a shift from basic digitization to a future where artificial intelligence becomes a standard public utility.
One of the province’s most ambitious initiatives under the Smarter Governance Program is the rollout of GovGPT, an AI-driven tool developed through the Durshal Government Fellowship Program.
The system is designed to assist government employees across KP in navigating complex regulations and procedures efficiently.
“We are working on governance digitization that provides real facilitation to citizens as well as the people who serve them,” said Ibrahim Saleem, who oversees key projects at the Durshal Fellowship Lab, speaking to Pakistan TV Digital.
Complementing this initiative, the Dastak App now features AI chatbots to respond to citizen queries, while Citizen Facilitation Centers (CFCs) serve as physical hubs where AI-backed systems help process documents such as birth and death certificates or domiciles, allowing citizens to track progress through a single window.
KPITB is also using AI as a tool for social change. Karishma Zakaullah, head of growth and partnerships at Code for Pakistan, highlighted a gender-inclusive initiative under the D4WEE (Digitization for Women Economic Empowerment) program, run in collaboration with UN Women. The program trains 6,000 girls from Mardan, Swabi, and Peshawar in advanced AI and digital skills.
“This is the first-of-its-kind Women Digital Internship,” Zakaullah said. “Girls from far-flung areas like Chitral and DI Khan receive a stipend of Rs30,000, plus mobile phones and internet access, to learn high-demand ICT skills remotely.”
For urban residents, AI is being deployed to improve daily life. The KP Open Data Portal now powers intelligent traffic management, automatically adjusting congestion points using camera data and traffic flow metrics. Geospatial mapping and air sensors are being used to identify pollution hotspots and improve environmental health.
Looking ahead, Voice2Gov is being developed to allow rural residents to access government services via voice commands in local languages such as Pashto and Urdu.
By training both graduating students and government personnel in AI, KPITB is ensuring that the “Year of AI” represents a long-term transformation rather than a temporary trend.
“Our goal is the proper utilization of the full potential of AI to make life simpler for every citizen of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Saleem said.
A female visitor at the Durshal offices added, “The focus is to make Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a leader in Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence while making people’s lives easier and smarter.”
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