ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MARINE ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT: INSIGHTS FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

Oceans form the backbone of global trade and maritime security. However, governance failures and enviornmental degradation have impacted the sustainable development of oceans worldwide. Pakistan's marine economy also mirrors such global trends. Despite having a strategic maritime location, the contribution of the marine economy to Pakistan;s GDP is limited. The gross marine product accounts for only 0.34% of the country's total economy. This study addresses the primary research question of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help Pakistan in the development of its marine economy. It explores AI integration in Pakistan's marine economy. The study also explores Pakistan-specific AI and Marine economy constraints such as data gaps, inadequate institutional capacity, and financial limitations. Using a qualitative research design combining marine economy & AI literature and expert interviews, the study highlights key areas of impact, such as predictive maintenance, intelligent harvesting, disease detection, and GIS (Geographic Information System) based ecosystem monitoring. The study concludes that a phased-based integration of AI technologies is essential for maintaining workforce relevance, keeping technological pace with regional countries, and strengthening the national marine economy through improved sustainable and maritime domain awareness.