AI-DRIVEN CYBER SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN PAKISTAN: EMERGING LEGAL AND INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into cyberspace has transformed both defensive cybersecurity capabilities and the nature of emerging threats to national security. This study examined the relationship between AI-driven cyber threats, legal and regulatory gaps, cyber governance capacity, and national security resilience in Pakistan. Guided by Socio-Technical Systems Theory, the study proposed a quantitative framework linking technological threats with institutional and regulatory capacity. An illustrative cross-sectional design was employed using a simulated dataset of 300 cybersecurity professionals, IT specialists, legal practitioners, academics, and public-sector officials. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analysis were applied. The illustrative findings indicated that AI-driven cyber threats were negatively associated with national security resilience, while cyber governance capacity demonstrated a significant positive relationship with resilience. Legal and regulatory gaps were negatively associated with cyber governance capacity, and governance capacity partially mediated the relationship between AI-driven cyber threats and national security resilience. The findings underscore the importance of integrating AI-specific cybersecurity capabilities with legal accountability, institutional coordination, regulatory capacity, and international cooperation. The study provides a conceptual and methodological foundation for future empirical research on AI-driven cyber sovereignty and national security in Pakistan.