Pakistan operator Jazz has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the country’s National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

This collaboration aims to develop Pakistan’s first indigenous large language model (LLM) to serve under-resourced regional languages, supporting digital inclusivity in AI technologies. The language the LLM will focus on is Urdu but it will include datasets for Pashto and Punjabi.

As Veon, the global digital operator that owns Jazz, explains, digital resources in languages beyond English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, German and Japanese remain scarce, creating an artificial intelligence (AI) language gap that impacts user experience, deepens bias, and widens the digital divide.

Veon’s partnerships in Pakistan and Kazakhstan, alongside the integration of local-language AI tools in its digital services across six countries, are aimed at bridging this gap and fostering AI inclusion.

In Pakistan, Veon says, this collaboration will help to empower thousands of individuals, businesses, and organisations with advanced AI tools in their native languages. The envisioned LLM is expected to drive innovation in AI applications, boosting productivity and accessibility in critical sectors like healthcare, education, and agriculture.

Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of Jazz, says: “Through this partnership with NUST and NITB, we can help close the digital divide, empowering our teachers, doctors, and farmers by providing them with tools and information in their native languages. This collaboration is a national cause that will drive exponential progress in digital inclusion. In the coming months, we aim to have a functional model that will lay the foundation for transformative AI framework in Pakistan.”

The MoU, which is effective for five years, lays the groundwork for continuous innovation and collaboration to develop this LLM.

Veon says its commitment to advancing AI for low-resource languages extends beyond Pakistan; earlier this year, QazCode, the software arm of Veon’s Beeline Kazakhstan, collaborated with industry association the GSMA and the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre to enhance AI applications for Kazakh and Catalan.