The Brussels Effect, the EU AI Act, and Pakistan’s AI Policy Choices: Aligning Global Market Access with Digital Sovereignty

The European Union AI Act has become the first global AI regulatory framework and is set to affect non-EU jurisdictions due to the Brussels Effect. This paper applies qualitative doctrinal-policy analysis to investigate the ways the risk-based model in the EU AI Act can inform the AI governance decisions in Pakistan. It examines the Brussels Effect, EU AI Act structure, and the current landscapes regarding the AI-policies in Pakistan. The paper concludes that AI governance in Pakistan is still fragmented with the ambition of the policy whilst lack of a binding regulation, poor protection of data, and no risk-classification system. Simultaneously, indirect market pressure can force Pakistani companies to adhere to EU-like standards. The article suggests that Pakistan ought to follow the selective alignment strategy: balancing high risk and export-oriented industries with the EU AI Act and maintaining domestic flexibility to safeguard innovation, regulatory capacity and digital sovereignty.