Bangladesh has immense potential to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for social and sustainable economic development, but its preparation remains in the early stages. Experts stressed the need for government-led capacity building through participatory models to foster AI readiness.
These insights emerged during the question-and-answer session of a webinar held on Wednesday night, focusing on sustainable economic and social progress in Bangladesh using AI. The event was organized by the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF).
Keynote presentations were delivered by Emad Tewaiy, Founder and Managing Director of Engage AI, and a2i’s Digital Transformation Specialist AKM Sabbir Mahbub. In his keynote, Sabbir Mahbub outlined Bangladesh’s prospects, challenges, and strategies for advancing AI applications. He highlighted that the government is already utilizing AI in natural language processing (NLP), optical character recognition (OCR), speech-to-text, and intelligent character recognition (ICR) for multi-layered services. These technologies power platforms like 333, Nathi, MyGov, and NPF while also enabling early flood forecasting.
The interactive Q&A session was moderated by Mrs. Rana Jabbar, Product Manager of EngageAI.org’s Program Development. The webinar concluded with closing remarks by BIGF Chairperson Aminul Hakim, emphasizing the need for collaboration and innovation to make AI an enabler of sustainable growth.
