President calls for ethical and human-centred AI development in Bangladesh

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President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) to increase productivity, upgrade industries, attract investment and create quality jobs for young people.

“Technology should be for people, not people for technology,” he said on Thursday after inaugurating the Bangladesh AI Business Summit 2026 in Dhaka.

Describing AI as a key force shaping Bangladesh’s future, the president said the technology would influence major sectors, including agriculture, education, healthcare, industry, trade, employment and the wider economy.

He said the summit should serve as a platform for determining the country's future direction rather than being treated as just another event.

Fakhrul urged businesses to look beyond using AI to reduce costs. He said it could also help develop new products and services, reach additional markets and generate employment.

At the same time, he emphasised the importance of safety and effective regulation, warning that uncontrolled use of AI could create serious risks for humanity.

“AI must not assume control over everything around us. We have to remain vigilant at every step,” he said.

The president also warned against allowing technological progress to worsen unemployment. He said society must ensure that AI strengthens human capabilities, protects human values and serves people's broader interests.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s large youth population as a major national asset, Fakhrul said young people were comfortable with technology and had the potential to achieve ambitious goals.

He described them as central to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but stressed that they needed quality education and relevant technical skills to benefit from the changes ahead.

The president expressed hope that the country's AI industry could establish a distinct identity for Bangladesh internationally, similar to the role played by the ready-made garment sector.

He said the government had begun developing a human-centred national AI policy focusing on ethical principles, human rights, risk-based regulation and responsible innovation.

Work is also underway to strengthen the country's AI capabilities using the Bengali language, he added.

Citing international research presented at the summit, Fakhrul said AI was expected to contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy in the coming years. He urged Bangladesh to take advantage of the opportunity by developing its own capacity to innovate and apply the technology.

He said the government, private sector, researchers, universities and young people would need to work together to address the challenges associated with Bangladesh’s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category.

The president expressed confidence that collective efforts could help the country achieve its ambition of becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2034.

“Let our goal be to build an AI-enabled, innovation-rich and human-centred Bangladesh, rather than one that is dependent on AI,” he said.

Fakhrul congratulated the organisers and participants, including scientists, researchers, technology professionals, entrepreneurs and investors, and wished the summit success.

The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) jointly organised the summit.