SWABI: Experts at an international symposium here said that Pakistan should focus on promoting scientific discourse and driving innovation in emerging technologies because the present era belonged to those, who made extraordinary progress in technologicalfield.

The symposium on AI and Quantum Technology (AIQT 2025) was held at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.

Researchers, academics and industry experts attended the symposium to explore convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

The participants of the symposium got engaged in insightful discussions on the latest advancements in quantum internet, quantum state engineering, AI-driven quantum circuits and quantum optimisation.

Asif Ahmad, a GIKI alumnus, who was chief guest on the occasion, acknowledged the symposium`s crucial role in developing human capital for the growth of quantum computing in Pakistan.

He stressed the need for fostering expertise in emerging technologies to position the country on the forefront of global quantum revolution.

Jehanzeb Sikandar, the chief of a leading group, who was guest of honour on the occasion, shared his enthusiasm for quantum computing and commended GIKI and its faculty for organising the symposium.

Dr Thejan Rajapakshe from Australia provided insights as to how quantum computingwas revolutionising AI-driven speech recognition technologies. Correspondent