KIET Strengthens Higher Education Policy Dialogue Under Indus AI Week 2026

By: Aziz Khatri

 Karachi: The Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology (KIET) convened a high-level Dean’s Roundtable on “AI in Higher Education: Classroom Innovation vs. Academic Integrity” on 10 February 2026 at its North Nazimabad Campus, bringing together senior academic leaders from leading universities across Karachi.

The roundtable was chaired by KIET Acting President, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Khalid Khan, who underscored in his opening remarks that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming higher education. He emphasized the need for universities to adopt balanced, responsible, and policy-driven approaches that harness AI’s potential for innovation while safeguarding academic integrity and intellectual rigor.

The academic forum was organized as a partner university initiative aligned with Indus AI Week 2026, contributing to the broader national agenda led by the Government of Sindh. Through this engagement, KIET positioned higher education governance and academic policy at the forefront of Pakistan’s evolving AI ecosystem.

The closed-door dialogue brought together deans and senior academic leadership from prominent public and private institutions, including Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology, Dawood University of Engineering & Technology, Ziauddin University, Iqra University, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, UIT University, Millennium Institute of Technology & Entrepreneurship, Sohail University, Al-Kawthar University, and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University.

Discussions centered on the growing impact of **Artificial Intelligence—particularly Generative AI and Large Language Models—**on teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Participants examined how universities can responsibly integrate AI-driven innovation while maintaining standards of originality, academic honesty, and intellectual discipline.

Key themes included the development of clear institutional AI-use frameworks, redesigning assessment models to emphasize higher-order cognitive skills, strengthening faculty preparedness, and ensuring ethical and equitable adoption of AI technologies. Participants agreed that AI must be addressed through strategic academic leadership and collaborative governance rather than prohibition-based or enforcement-driven responses.

KIET expressed appreciation to the distinguished academic leaders for their participation, noting that hosting such a high-level academic forum reflects the institution’s commitment to future-ready education, academic excellence, and national thought leadership in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.