MAM
Pakistan I&B minister urges ad agencies to prop up country’s image
ISLAMABAD: Our neighbours are realising the value of advertising. Pakistan federal minister for information and broadcasting (I&B) Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has asked advertising agencies to play a larger role in the image building of the country, aimed at meeting the future challenges and attracting foreign direct investment. The minister was presiding over the inaugural session of ‘Round Table Conference on Advertising in Pakistan’.
The meet was attended by I&B ministry secretaries, director generals of the national broadcasters and representatives of the ad associations and accredited advertising agencies from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Minister Ahmed urged the ad agencies to work for promoting Pakistan as a moderate, liberal and progressive state in the world. He added that ad agencies would promote marketing values along with code of ethics for the betterment of the society.
The minister also reassured the gathering and stated that the government would try to resolve their problems at the earliest.
Regarding licensing for private television channels, he said the government would grant licences to private companies for setting up private channels aimed at promoting healthy competition in the field of electronic media.
Ahmed said many companies had approached the government for setting up channels including a private channel, Star Pakistan, which would be a purely Pakistani channel. “CNN and BBC have also talked about their Urdu service,” the minister disclosed.
The ministry officials also called upon owners of advertising agencies to make a code of ethics to discourage gloomy advertising in electronic as well as print media.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
