LAHORE | January 26, 2026 – Under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, a two-day high-profile workshop titled “Google AI for Public Sector: Strategic Governance & Enterprise Impact” was held at the Planning & Development Department. The session, hosted by School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat and conducted by Tech Valley Pakistan, brought together international experts to equip the Provincial Cabinet and the CM Office with advanced AI tools for enhanced public service delivery.
During the technical sessions, the ministers observed how AI can be leveraged to analyze various policy and impact reports instantly. Participants engaged in live simulations where Google Gemini was used to convert complex governmental reports into concise cabinet summaries, localized social media content in Urdu, and executive press releases.
The session was opened by CEO Tech Valley Pakistan, Umar Farooq, who provided an overview of Google for Education’s engagements in Punjab. He emphasized streamlining strategy, governance, and technology to ensure that automation remains under the ethical and strategic control of government leadership. He also shared a special thank-you video for the Honorable Chief Minister Punjab from Paul Hutchings, General Manager, Greater Asia at Google for Education.
Ms. Alex Galland, Regional Digital Transformation Advisor at Google, shared insights on utilizing the Gemini ecosystem for education governance, especially addressing the “Out of School Children” crisis. She highlighted the use of multimodal AI, capable of analyzing text, images, and data, to foster equitable outcomes and drive data-driven decision-making across provincial departments.
Mr. Tim Paolini, Special Initiatives Lead, APAC & MENA, concluded the training by introducing NotebookLM as a “Digital Assistant“. He detailed how this AI model can serve as a force multiplier for the CM Office, automating administrative burdens to allow officials to focus on high-impact policy enforcement. The workshop was attended by Senior Provincial Minister Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, and Information Minister Ms. Azma Zahid Bokhari.
Observing the profound importance of these technological advancements, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced the establishment of the Google-Tech Valley Digital Transformation Advisory Board. Aimed at providing strategic guidance on AI integration across education, policy-making, and administrative reforms, the Board will be co-chaired by the Chief Minister and the Education Minister, with a mandate to monitor progress on a quarterly basis. Reinforcing her vision for the year 2026 the Chief Minister issued a series of bold directives to reshape the province’s future:
- AI-Compulsory Education: AI will become a compulsory subject for all students from primary to secondary levels.
- Localized Content: The Punjab Education Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) and the School Education Department (SED) are directed to localize AI content to ensure it is accessible and relevant.
- Mass Digital Inclusion: A target has been set to upscale Google IDs to 1 million students and teachers by the next quarter.
- Hardware Empowerment: The province will deploy 100,000 Chromebooks for students across Punjab in 2026.
Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb stated that this initiative is a cornerstone of the Chief Minister’s vision for “Speed and Delivery,” ensuring that Punjab leads the way as a digitally empowered and transparent province.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif issued a clear mandate to all cabinet members, asking them to personally learn and master these tools to ensure strategic governance and speedy decision making across the board. Furthermore, highlighting the host’s pivotal role in the province’s digital future, the CM directed School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat to implement AI within the provincial curriculum, ensuring that Punjab’s students are equipped for the modern era.
