Pak Hosts Groundbreaking Meta Llama Pitchathon

News Desk

Islamabad: Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication State Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja has emphasised Pakistan’s growing capabilities in AI and technological innovation, stating that the “success of the Meta Llama Pitchathon underscores Pakistan’s vibrant tech ecosystem and its potential to lead AI innovation”.

The National Incubation Centre for Aerospace Technologies (NICAT), in collaboration with Meta, the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication, and the Ignite National Technology Fund, hosted the first-ever Meta Llama Pitchathon in the Asia Pacific region. This event showcased the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI) by leveraging Meta’s advanced Llama 2 and Llama 3 models.

The competition, which began on July 19, 2024, attracted 112 submissions. Seven teams were shortlisted by e27 and Meta officials to pitch their ideas in the final round on August 13, 2024, before a panel of judges.

The top three finalists presented groundbreaking innovations with the potential for significant social impact. Traversaa.ai, a team from San Francisco, USA, proposed UrduLlama, a large language model (LLM) specifically designed for the Urdu language, aimed at combating educational inequality and illiteracy in Pakistan.

Answer AI, with team members from both Pakistan and the USA, introduced Opportunity Gateway, a platform offering affordable and personalised IELTS test preparation tools to make quality education more accessible.

Islamabad-based vResolv Pvt. Ltd. presented Qazi AI, a legal AI assistant developed to streamline judicial processes and address the overwhelming backlog of cases in Pakistan’s judicial system.

Public Policy for the Asia-Pacific Region Meta Vice President Simon Milner stated, “Meta is committed to supporting the AI ecosystem in this region, and I’m thrilled to see such diverse and impactful ideas emerging from Pakistan’s developer community.”

Traversaa.ai was declared the winner and will compete in the regional finals in Singapore in October 2024. The winning prize will provide the winners with a global platform to showcase their innovations, connect with international industry leaders, and gain invaluable exposure.

The Meta Llama Pitchathon in Pakistan sets a new standard for innovation, and we believe it will pave the way for the next wave of technological breakthroughs in the country and the broader region, Simon Milner added.

Ignite National Technology Fund Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adeel Aijaz Shaikh said that the Meta Llama Pitchathon offers creators a unique opportunity to develop solutions with real business and community benefits.

e27 Co-founder Mohan Belani remarked, “We are looking forward to an exciting lineup of initiatives in Pakistan, including educational resources for developers and community-building activities.”