Zahanat Ai ‘Groundbreaking’ Claims Stir Debate Amid Pakistan’s AI Push: PR or Real Innovation?

In a recent media briefing, IT Minister Shaza Fatima outlined Pakistan’s ambitious AI agenda while highlighting a demonstration by Zahanat Ai’s team. Led by CEO Mehwish, the company visited the IT Ministry in Islamabad to showcase their AI, which they claim is groundbreaking for integrating Pakistan’s cultural, geopolitical, and religious perspectives. But is it really groundbreaking? Team TechJuice has analyzed the claims, and here’s what we found.

Government’s AI Push

Minister Fatima announced sweeping initiatives to prepare Pakistan for a digital future. “Programs are being implemented to train youth in Artificial Intelligence,” she said, confirming the government’s support for AI startups. AI classes have been introduced in all schools within the Federal Capital Territory, with plans to extend this education to colleges and universities. Additionally, applied sciences courses will soon be offered at Daanish University.

The Zahanat Ai Demonstration

During the briefing, the Zahanat Ai team showcased a video demonstrating their AI and its agentic capabilities. The model is pitched as a tailored solution for Pakistani users, with plans for a Zahanat Ai 2.0 upgrade that will incorporate Urdu and other regional languages. However, expert reviews reveal that the module on display is more of a custom GPT than a truly innovative, homegrown reasoning model, such custom GPTs can be easily created or replicated. Key features touted as upcoming in Zahanat 2.0—such as multilingual communication—are already available in models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, these models are able to communicate in Pakistan’s most local languages.

Another segment of the video highlighted an agentic AI application where a camera detects whether a man at a bank counter is standing or sitting. While promising, this demonstration failed to showcase advanced reasoning capabilities. In reality, at least 20 companies in Pakistan are actively developing agentic AI, with many reportedly producing more advanced models than what was presented by Zahanat Ai. “We need to celebrate and support homegrown innovations, but there must be a balance between genuine breakthroughs and PR-driven efforts,” an industry insider noted.

As Pakistan accelerates its digital transformation, the contrast between high expectations and cautious scrutiny underscores the challenge of distinguishing meaningful innovation from media hype. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether Pakistan’s AI investments can strike the right balance between true innovation and PR spin, ultimately defining the nation’s competitive stance in the global AI arena.