Google Digital Sahafat Trains 4,000 Journalists
Google Digital Sahafat has trained more than 4,000 Pakistani journalists, journalism students and media practitioners since 2024, and the programme is now expanding into Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Google marked two years of the programme at an event at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore. Digital Sahafat trains journalists to use Google’s AI tools to verify information, work more efficiently and build sustainable newsroom practices.
The event was attended by Ali Dar, adviser to the chief minister of Punjab on AI, international cooperation and special initiatives, and Sultana Siddiqui, founder and chairperson of Hum Network. Kate Beddoe, Google’s managing director for news partnerships in Asia Pacific, joined them with policymakers, senior journalists, media executives and programme participants.
Google Digital Sahafat: what journalists learn
Google launched Digital Sahafat in September 2024. It uses a cascade training model run by Tech Valley, an education technology social enterprise, in which master trainers teach journalists, media practitioners and students across the country.
The programme works with media partners, government bodies and universities. Its partners include the Higher Education Department of Punjab, the Science and IT Department of Sindh, the information departments of Balochistan and Sindh, and universities such as Beaconhouse National University, the International Islamic University Islamabad, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Bahria University and the University of Karachi.
“No government can do this alone. It takes Google, Tech Valley, our universities, and our media houses working together. That to me is what future-forward Pakistan means,” Ali Dar said at the event.
The results so far
Since 2024, the programme has trained more than 4,000 journalists, students and practitioners, and more than 60 master trainers, across Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Its 2025 participant surveys found that 85 per cent of participants now use Google AI tools in their daily work, and nearly 68 per cent saved more than 25 per cent of their time on daily tasks. Participants also reported a 260 per cent rise in confidence using AI.
“I am proud to celebrate the impact of Digital Sahafat. Seeing first hand how journalists across Pakistan have not only adopted AI, but embraced it is inspiring our work with the news industry across the Asia Pacific region,” Beddoe said.
The training lands at a moment when verification has become a daily newsroom task in Pakistan. This week, fact-checkers used AI detection tools to expose viral images that falsely claimed to show Imran Khan meeting his lawyers in Adiala jail, and watermark and detection checks of that kind are among the verification skills Digital Sahafat teaches. AI training for Pakistani workers is spreading the same skills beyond newsrooms, and Pakistan’s AI plans were debated at the Margalla Dialogue this week. Officials have also warned about deceptive uses of technology online. The AI industry itself is in flux, with Nvidia’s chief executive resigning this week after 33 years at the chipmaker.
Google says it has trained 2.5 million journalists and industry professionals across 120 countries, and Digital Sahafat is part of that wider effort to help publishers work with new technology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Google Digital Sahafat?
It is a training programme launched by Google in September 2024. It teaches Pakistani journalists, journalism students and media practitioners to use Google AI tools to verify information and work more efficiently.
How many journalists has it trained?
More than 4,000 journalists, students and practitioners, plus more than 60 master trainers, across Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Which provinces is it expanding to?
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The programme marked two years at an event in Lahore and announced the expansion there.
What do participants learn?
They learn to use Google AI tools for verification and productivity, to work more efficiently and to build sustainable newsroom practices.
Who runs the training?
Google runs it with Tech Valley, media partners, government bodies and universities, including the Higher Education Department of Punjab and the information departments of Balochistan and Sindh.
