Reimagining Media Studies Education in Pakistan through Artificial Intelligence: Curriculum Integration, Competencies, and Challenges

Abstract

This paper studies how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping media studies education in Pakistan. It uses primary policy data from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), mainly the 2025 revised curriculum for Media and Communication Studies and the national decision to make AI a compulsory course, together with recent international research. The paper shows that AI has moved from the edges of the media curriculum to its centre. In the new HEC scheme, a three-credit course called “AI & Data Analytics in Media” is mandatory for every undergraduate student, a Data Journalism course sits in the core, and a full specialization in Data and Computational Journalism is offered as an option. Drawing on competency frameworks from UNESCO and leading scholars, the paper sets out the knowledge, skills, and values that media graduates now need: understanding AI, using AI tools responsibly, reading data and algorithms, judging AI outputs, and keeping ethics and human judgement central. The paper then explains the real problems that stand in the way, including weak infrastructure and the digital divide, limited teacher training, academic integrity worries, weak support for Urdu and regional languages, and the difficulty of enforcing bans. It closes with practical steps for universities, teachers, and policymakers. The main argument is simple: Pakistan has taken an important first step on paper, but turning policy into real classroom learning will decide whether the reform succeeds.