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Google hosted Think Apps 2026 in Lahore, bringing together Pakistan’s top developers, alongside global and regional industry leaders and experts. As the biggest app and gaming event of the year for the industry, it focused on how AI can help Pakistani studios achieve sustainable growth on the world stage.
Pakistani app and gaming studios have increasingly made their mark globally, reaching millions of users beyond the country’s borders. Over the past 12 months alone, products built by local developers generated an extraordinary 4.6 billion downloads worldwide. This expanding international presence provides a strong foundation for boosting Pakistan’s digital exports, especially as rapid advancements in AI create unprecedented opportunities for local developers to scale, innovate, and compete globally.
During the event, experts highlighted actionable AI tools, growth strategies, and monetization frameworks tailored to help studios streamline production, enhance user engagement, and tap into high-value markets.
Pakistan’s next digital export chapter
From its humble beginnings with fewer than 30 people, the industry now supports over 30,000 professionals—reflecting the immense depth of local talent building products for global audiences. Pioneering studios such as Game District and Funsol exemplify an ambitious ecosystem whose reach and vision extend far beyond Pakistan’s domestic market.
Farhan Qureshi, Google Cluster Director for Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Frontier Markets, addresses Think Apps 2026 in Lahore, highlighting how AI can help Pakistani developers build globally competitive businesses and a lasting digital legacy.
“The global impact of Pakistan’s developers reflects the world-class talent and ambition driving the local ecosystem,” said Farhan Qureshi, Google Cluster Director for Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Frontier Markets. “By empowering developers with cutting-edge AI capabilities, our goal is to accelerate this momentum and enable studios to build high-value products that resonate globally, foster sustainable business growth, and elevate Pakistan’s position in the global digital economy.”
AI opens the next growth opportunity
The opportunity comes as rising competition and user acquisition costs put a new level of challenge on developers. AI offers ways to accelerate coding, improve creative production and build applications around new user needs. Success will depend on combining these capabilities with product quality and experiences that keep users engaged.
Through the Build, Yield and Scale roadmap, Google outlined support across that journey. Google Cloud AI can help studios develop products, while Google Ads and AdMob support user acquisition and monetisation. Expansion into new categories and audiences offers routes to international growth. Google Play’s reach of more than three billion monthly active users underscores the scale of the audience available to developers.
Investing in Pakistan’s next generation
Google’s commitment extends to preparing the next generation of Pakistani developers to compete globally. Its pledge to train 100,000 developers in AI by 2028 will support the creation of next-generation apps and games, while enabling local production of 500,000 Chromebooks will broaden access to technology for digital education. Alongside online safety training delivered to 200,000 families through its Digital Pasban program, these efforts support the skills, access and confidence young Pakistanis need to participate in the digital economy here and abroad.
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