Pakistani student develops world’s largest Urdu AI model ‘Qalb’

Pakistan’s own Urdu ChatGPT, “Qalb”, has officially been launched, marking a historic milestone in the country’s digital journey. Developed under the leadership of Taimoor Hassan, a Pakistani student studying in the United States, Qalb is now recognised as the world’s largest Large Language Model created exclusively for the Urdu language.

Trained on a massive dataset of 1.97 billion tokens and benchmarked across more than seven international evaluation frameworks, Qalb outperforms existing Urdu-focused AI models on key real-world performance indicators, setting a new standard for natural language processing in Pakistan.

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Hassan is a young serial entrepreneur who has successfully launched and exited 13 startups. A former winner of the Microsoft Cup, he has represented Pakistan at international forums and completed his Bachelor’s in Computer Science from FAST University.

He is currently pursuing a Masters in Computer Science and Software Engineering at Auburn University while working on advanced technology and AI projects.

With Urdu spoken by over 230 million people worldwide, Qalb bridges a long-standing technological divide by enabling advanced AI solutions in the national language. The model is designed to support local businesses, startups, educational platforms, digital services, and voice-based AI agents.

“I had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a much bigger mission for the country,” Hassan said. “Together with my undergraduate roommates and teammates, Jawad Ahmed and Muhammad Awais, we are committed to continuously fine-tuning localised models for niche industries, which we believe can become a major breakthrough for Pakistan.”

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The team emphasises that meaningful innovation is no longer limited to large corporations. “Technology is no longer locked behind big budgets or big teams. With the right mindset, even a small group can build products that educate, automate, and serve millions,” Hassan added.

Qalb aims to redefine how AI is built and deployed in Pakistan, positioning the country at the forefront of regional AI development and opening the door for a new generation of Urdu-first digital experiences.