ISLAMABAD: Meta has launched ‘ALIF,’ an artificial intelligence (AI) model, that allows users to communicate with it in Urdu as part of an expansion of its language capabilities, Pakistan’s information technology (IT) ministry said on Monday.

Urdu, Pakistan’s national language and one of the 22 languages enshrined under India’s constitution, is spoken by millions of people in South Asia and elsewhere in the world.

The announcement was made during the IT ministry’s “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation” event, held in partnership with Meta to advance digital transformation in Pakistan.

Officials announced a series of initiatives aimed at empowering Pakistan’s public sector and local communities during the event, according to the Pakistani IT ministry.