The Indus AI Summit 2026 concluded recently with a major step forward for Pakistan’s approach to artificial intelligence, moving the country from long-term ambition to concrete national action.

The summit set clear policy direction, secured international collaboration, and introduced measurable government commitments aimed at building Pakistan’s own sovereign AI ecosystem.

Held in Islamabad and organised by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the event placed artificial intelligence at the centre of Pakistan’s economic, governance, and workforce strategy. The announcement of new funding, education reforms, and national AI governance principles signaled that AI is now being treated as a core national priority rather than a future concept.

A key outcome of the summit was the unveiling of the Islamabad Declaration, a national framework designed to guide how Pakistan develops, governs, and deploys artificial intelligence. The declaration focuses on sovereign control of data, accountable and ethical AI use, and practical implementation across government and industry, providing Pakistan with a clear roadmap for AI adoption.

The summit also produced major policy commitments from the federal government. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif announced a $1 billion investment in AI by 2030 to support sovereign compute infrastructure and research. The government will introduce AI education in federal schools, extend access to underserved regions, including AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan, fund 1,000 PhD scholarships in AI, and train one million non-IT professionals in AI skills to improve productivity across sectors.

Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja highlighted that implementation is already underway. She pointed to initiatives such as full e-office adoption across federal divisions and the development of high-performance computing infrastructure. She also emphasized the role of international partnerships in accelerating Pakistan’s AI capacity and credibility.

The summit featured senior international and local speakers, including technology policymakers, academic experts, and private-sector leaders from Pakistan, the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia. Discussions focused on AI governance, sovereign data systems, financing national AI infrastructure, and building competitive AI ecosystems.

The event concluded with a roadmap discussion on next steps, followed by the launch of Indus AI Week, which will continue through February 15. The week includes public exhibitions, student engagement, and startup-focused activities at the Islamabad Sports Complex, aiming to broaden awareness and hands-on exposure to AI technologies.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has clarified that spectrum caps will be strictly enforced throughout the entire 5G auction process, including bid submission, bid processing, and iterative auction rounds.

Responding to questions from stakeholders, PTA said spectrum caps are enforced at the point of bid entry. The authority explained that the auction’s activity rules are designed to ensure that spectrum caps cannot be breached at any stage of bid processing. Any increased bids that do not comply with activity rules or spectrum cap limits will not be processed.

PTA further explained that bids are handled through an Electronic Auction System that processes bids in a queue ordered by price points. When a bid is fully or partially processed, the system re-tests the queue from the lowest price point to ensure consistent handling of competing bids across different spectrum bands.

In cases where a bid is only partially processed, the remaining unprocessed portion stays in the queue and is reconsidered in later iterations. PTA noted that this bid-handling mechanism follows established international practices used in spectrum auctions globally.

The authority also said it will present detailed worked examples of bid processing during the information session and mock auction. These examples are intended to help bidders understand how the system manages excess demand and responds to bid adjustments during the auction.

Discord is implementing stricter age verification through a face scan and government IDs to unlock full access to the app’s features. This is primarily meant to differentiate between adult and teenager accounts for safety reasons.

Teen safety features will begin rolling out globally in early March, placing both new and existing users into a teen-appropriate experience by default unless they verify they are adults. The update introduces stricter content controls, limited access to age-gated spaces, and new communication rules designed to reduce unwanted contact while maintaining user privacy.

Age Verification Methods

Discord will require age verification to unlock adult features. Users can verify their age using facial age estimation through a video selfie processed entirely on their device or by submitting a government ID to Discord’s verification partners.

Identity documents are deleted quickly, usually immediately after age confirmation. The company is also deploying an age inference model that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult without always requiring manual verification. Some users may be asked to complete additional verification steps if needed.

Once verified, users receive confirmation through Discord’s official account. Age status remains private and cannot be viewed by other users. Users can also view or appeal their assigned age group through account settings.

Teen Accounts by Default

Accounts set to teen by default will have sensitive images and videos blurred unless the user verifies as an adult. Only verified adult users will be able to access age-restricted channels, servers, and app commands, speak on stage in servers, or change message request settings.

Direct messages from unfamiliar users will be moved to a separate inbox by default. Additionally, Discord will display warning prompts when users receive friend requests from accounts they may not recognize.

Previous Testings

Discord previously tested the teen by default system in the UK and Australia. The company said the global rollout builds on those results.

Savannah Badalich, Discord’s head of product policy, said the goal is to provide stronger protections for teens while allowing verified adults more flexibility. She added that teen safety remains central to Discord’s product design.

Privacy Concerns

Public reaction to the update has been mixed. Some users support stricter controls on messaging and content access for teens. Others have raised concerns about privacy and mandatory age verification.

Critics pointed to a security incident in late 2025 involving a third-party support provider, where attackers accessed age verification and support ticket data. Discord said about 70,000 users had their ID photos exposed, and the company cut off the vendor’s access and is working with law enforcement. However, some reports suggest the stolen data could be larger.

Users on social forums expressed frustration that verification photos described as temporary were still stored and later leaked, raising questions about the security of the process.

Discord is Not Alone

Discord’s update follows similar changes across the social media industry. Instagram already applies stricter content and messaging settings to teen accounts by default. Snapchat keeps teen accounts private and limits discoverability. TikTok has expanded AI-based age detection to identify underage users.

Discord is also launching a Teen Council made up of 10 to 12 users aged 13 to 17 to help Discord understand what teens want to help improve the app further.