ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani start-ups have been selected among 23 companies from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region to participate in Google’s first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy in the region, the search engine giant said on Thursday, with the move intended to enhance the companies’ AI solutions and accelerate business development.
The AI program kicked off earlier this week in a three-day boot camp in Singapore with Pakistan start-ups AdalFi and Adlytic AI among other companies from India, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia taking part.
These start-ups will receive over 170 hours of mentorship from AI and Cloud experts, up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits apart from opportunities to connect with AI innovators across the APAC region, Google said.
“Two innovative startups from Pakistan are among the 23 chosen from across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) to participate in Google’s first-ever AI Academy in the region,” Google said in a press release.
Google launched the AI Academy in August to aid the growth of artificial intelligence startups in Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific. The move was aimed at sparking new cross-border innovations and partnerships that would allow the exchange of ideas, expertise, and resources to accelerate the development of AI solutions, helping the APAC region become a “global hub” for AI development.
The statement said these startups were pushing the boundaries of AI innovation in Pakistan and contributing to the region’s vibrant AI ecosystem.
“Pakistani startup AdalFi is increasing access to financial services with its AI-powered credit scoring system, promoting financial inclusivity for millions of individuals and small businesses,” it added. “Adlytic AI is enhancing retail analytics by transforming CCTV cameras into intelligent tools for businesses, helping retailers better use visual and geospatial data to grow their business.”
Head of Google for startups, Micheal Kim, expressed excitement at Google kicking off its first-ever AI Academy in the Asia Pacific region. 
“AI has the potential to be an incredible force multiplier, and it’s incredible to see these 23 startups harnessing AI’s potential to impact some tough challenges, ranging from addressing underserved sectors, like expanding access to financial services and health care, to building AI collaborators for lawyers, democratizing influencer marketing with AI-generated avatars,” he said.
“Through this program, we hope to foster a wave of innovation that will have a ripple effect across the entire Asia-Pacific region.”
All the participating start-ups will be showcasing their “refined AI solutions” to investors, entrepreneurs and AI industry leaders in December later this year on the Ai Academy’s Graduation Day, the press release said.

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has called for Pakistan-wide protests today, Friday, against the government’s proposed constitutional amendments it alleges are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, and to demand Khan’s release from prison.
The PTI and Pakistan’s legal fraternity have been up in arms over a set of proposed constitutional amendments that the Shehbaz Sharif-led government has been trying to pass since last month. The government rejects PTI’s allegations that it wants to exert more control over judicial appointments and decision-making powers through these amendments.
The proposed amendments are expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modify the process for the appointment of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The PTI says the amendments aim to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, widely believed to be aligned with the government and against its chief rival, Khan. The government rejects these allegations.
“I appeal to my entire nation to come out of their homes on Oct. 18 and protest peacefully under the ambit of the constitution,” PTI leader Amir Dogar said in a video message.
The PTI gears up for protests as three major parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) announced Wednesday night that they had reached a consensus on the amendments.
To pass the constitutional amendments, the ruling coalition needs a two-thirds majority in parliament, something the PTI and lawyers have vowed to take to the streets against. 
BAN ON PRISON MEETINGS
Dogar said the party was calling for protests also as Khan was incarcerated on frivolous charges and was not being allowed to meet his lawyers and family members. 
The PTI had earlier this week called for protests at the D-Chowk venue in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad against the Punjab government’s move to ban meetings at Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been imprisoned since August last year. 
The provincial government said it had imposed the ban due to security reasons ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit following violent Islamabad clashes earlier this month. 
The party later postponed its protest, saying it had done so for the larger national interest as world leaders arrived for the international summit. 
PTI’s last protest in Islamabad earlier this month led to clashes between its workers and law enforcement personnel, leading to dozens of arrests and injuries to a large number of cops, one of whom died after being subjected to alleged torture by the protesters.
Khan, jailed since August last year, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military.