MIST Hosts Maiden Responsible AI Summit 2026
For the first time in Bangladesh, the Responsible AI Summit 2026 was held at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), bringing together students, academics, industry leaders, and policymakers to discuss ethical and socially responsible artificial intelligence.
Alongside keynote sessions and panel discussions, the summit featured poster presentations and project exhibition competitions involving students, where a range of innovative and socially relevant AI-based projects were showcased.
Students from 12 universities, including MIST, the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), BRAC University, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), and Islamic University of Technology (IUT), participated in the competitions. Awards were presented to the top four teams in both the project presentation and poster exhibition categories.
In the project exhibition segment, Team Choukkosh Prohori emerged as champions. The MIST team members—Md. Jawadur Rahman, Al Amin Rashid Tarek, and Jaber Islam—presented an autonomous defense system capable of area surveillance using artificial intelligence and sensors. The system can independently detect, track, and identify hostile targets. Their project was titled ASETS.
BUET’s Team MIDAS secured first runner-up position by showcasing on-site tools capable of providing early earthquake warnings. Team members included Md. Ibrahim Mollah, Nazmus Sakib, and Sandid Safwan. The second runner-up position went to the University of Dhaka’s Team Arakta, while QRARG_AKI, also from the University of Dhaka, became third runner-up.
In the poster exhibition category, IUT’s Team Anonymous won the championship. The team comprised Miftahul Jannati Anannya, Khandaker Sakib Al Hasan, and Mostafina Monir Mrinmoyee. The runners-up in this category were Needle Vision from Islamic University, Kushtia, and host institution MIST’s Aristotle Lavoisier and QRARG FireSense teams.
The summit was held on January 18 (Sunday) at Mirpur Cantonment, Dhaka, under the supervision of MIST’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). Two panel discussions focused on Responsible AI from academic, industrial, and policy perspectives.
The keynote paper titled “How Academia Can Contribute to Building Responsible AI for and by Bangladesh” was presented by Dr. Upol Ehsan, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University and Berkman Klein Fellow at Harvard University. He emphasized the importance of developing locally innovated AI solutions aligned with Bangladesh’s unique needs and realities.
Panel discussions featured Associate Professor Dr. SM Taiyabul Haque (BRAC University), Professor Dr. Nova Ahmed (North South University), and Associate Professor Dr. Kazi Nur-e-Alam Siddiquee (MIST), highlighting academia’s role in promoting responsible AI practices and ensuring ethical AI adoption in a developing-country context.
Another session, co-moderated by Meer Shah Rukh Islam, Managing Director and Co-founder of Bondstein Technologies, included industry and government representatives such as Farhana Anwar Rahman (UY Systems Limited), Arafat Mohammad Noman (ICT Division), and Imtiaz Elahi (GraphicPeople and SoftwarePeople). Speakers stressed the importance of effective policy frameworks, fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI-driven digital systems.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the event has been recognized as a significant initiative toward promoting ethical and responsible AI practices in Bangladesh. The inauguration was attended by Adviser for Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare Sharmeen S. Murshid as the chief guest, while MIST Commandant Major General Mohammad Nasim Parvez served as the chief patron.
The event was chaired by Brigadier General Mohammad Shahjahan Mojib, Head of MIST’s CSE Department. Renowned academics and technologists, including Dr. Mohammad Kaykobad, a pioneer of mathematics and informatics Olympiads in Bangladesh, were also present.
DBTech/IS/EK/OR
