Simon Milner, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for the Asia Pacific region, recently spoke with Talha Ahad from The Centrum Media (TCM) about Meta’s efforts to drive innovation and foster responsible digital citizenship among the youth in Pakistan, as well as the company’s initiatives related to the creator economy, artificial intelligence (AI), and monetization plans for Pakistani creators.
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Key Highlights from the Discussion:
- Undersea Cable Project:
- Meta plans to install a 45,000-km undersea cable connecting Karachi to 33 other countries in Africa and the Middle East. Scheduled for completion by 2025, this project aims to significantly enhance Pakistan’s global connectivity. Milner highlighted that this infrastructure investment will improve bandwidth, reduce latency, and provide more reliable access to Meta’s services, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Meta AI, benefitting Pakistani users and content creators alike.
- AI Innovation through Llama AI:
- Meta is focusing on enhancing AI innovation in Pakistan through the Llama AI initiative. Milner noted that Pakistan is among the first countries to benefit from this initiative, which aims to empower local developers and drive technological advancements.
- The recent AI competition, held in collaboration with NITB, Ignite, and the Ministry of IT, attracted over 100 applicants. The competition featured innovative solutions, such as a literacy tool for non-literate individuals and an AI-driven system to address court case backlogs.
- The winning team will represent Pakistan in Singapore, competing for a $100,000 grant alongside participants from 12 other Asian countries. Milner emphasized that this initiative is just the beginning of Meta’s commitment to nurturing Pakistan’s tech ecosystem and its potential contributions to the global technology landscape.
