Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), through its Services Division in collaboration with the Textile and Leather Division, organized a webinar titled “Artificial Intelligence in the Textile Sector,” bringing together more than 100 participants from across Pakistan’s textile industry. The session focused on the increasing importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in strengthening competitiveness, improving efficiency, and enabling innovation across the textile value chain. Discussions during the webinar reflected a growing understanding within the sector that AI is gradually becoming a significant factor in maintaining productivity and addressing operational challenges in an increasingly competitive global market.
Opening the session, Ms. Rafia Syed, Director General (Punjab I and Services Division), TDAP, emphasized the need for adopting emerging technologies to strengthen Pakistan’s textile sector and improve its position in international markets. She highlighted that the adoption of AI is not limited to introducing new technological systems, but instead requires the development of an ecosystem shaped by business needs, industry practices, and collaborative knowledge exchange. According to the discussion, AI adoption in the textile industry should be driven by practical use cases and informed by industry requirements rather than implementing technology without clear operational value. She further noted that TDAP’s role extends beyond facilitation by supporting industry readiness, promoting knowledge sharing, and encouraging the use of future focused digital solutions for sustainable growth.
The technical segment of the webinar was led by Dr. Naveed Iftikhar, Co Founder of Atomcamp, and Ms. Berjees Shaikh, Chief Technology Officer at Atomcamp, who shared detailed insights into how AI technologies are reshaping textile operations. Their presentations highlighted the role of computer vision and AI driven systems in improving quality control, defect detection, compliance monitoring, production planning, and supply chain optimization. The speakers explained how structured data and domain expertise are essential for successful AI implementation, while emphasizing that adoption is a gradual process rather than an immediate plug and play solution. Discussions also reflected industry concerns regarding scalability, measurable return on investment, and implementation costs, issues that remain central for textile businesses considering digital transformation initiatives.
An interactive question and answer session further highlighted practical concerns from participants representing textile firms across the country, particularly around implementation challenges and operational readiness. During the discussion, Ms. Rafia Syed outlined TDAP’s future direction, which includes developing industry specific AI use cases, assessing AI readiness across the textile sector, and encouraging stronger collaboration between industry, academia, and technology providers. The authority also aims to facilitate sector focused engagements and working groups to support practical adoption pathways for businesses. Participants noted that while implementation challenges remain, the broader opportunity to move up the textile value chain through AI based efficiencies and innovation remains substantial for Pakistan’s export oriented industry.
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