Pakistan’s AI frontier is rapidly advancing — and leading the charge is the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) at UET Peshawar. Since its establishment in 2018 under the Higher Education Commission and Planning Commission, NCAI has become a national hub for AI-driven innovation, now focused on early disaster warning systems and urban security tools.
Predictive AI for Disaster Response
NCAI has built AI-powered early warning systems that forecast floods, earthquakes, and landslides by analyzing environmental patterns. These predictive models, built in collaboration with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are currently being integrated for full deployment.
Safe City Surveillance Powered by AI
In parallel, NCAI is advancing a Safe City program with facial recognition, behavioral analysis, and threat detection. This system includes real-time alerts for weapons detection and hostile intent using AI interpretations of facial expressions and movement cues — a game-changer for both urban safety and border security.
Research, Reach & Impact
NCAI’s contributions go beyond deployment:
- 100+ research publications
- 10+ novel algorithms
- 6 national patents filed
- AI workshops hosted in Pakistan and abroad
As part of a 9-lab national AI consortium, including NUST, COMSATS, NED UET, and Punjab University, NCAI’s work is shaping Pakistan’s national AI strategy.
With Islamabad rolling out 3,200 AI-powered cameras, and NCAI’s ongoing efforts in Peshawar, Pakistan’s smart security infrastructure is stepping confidently into the future.
