Bangladesh AI Readiness: Perspectives from the Academia, Industry, and Government

2026-01-19

AI Summary

This study addresses the structural challenges impeding Bangladesh’s artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, including outdated curricula, insufficient faculty expertise, limited computational resources, gender disparities, and the absence of AI ethics frameworks, which collectively reflect deeper educational lags, industry–academia disconnects, and inadequate policy coordination. Through institutional analysis, in-depth interviews with 59 stakeholders, and international benchmarking of academic programs, the research empirically maps the nation’s AI readiness landscape for the first time, uncovering systemic and cultural barriers across educational, industrial, and governmental dimensions. Innovatively adopting a human-centric, inclusive, and responsible AI perspective, the study proposes actionable pathways to embed digital inclusion and ethical principles into national AI strategies, offering theoretical insights and policy guidance for emerging economies seeking to build equitable and sustainable AI ecosystems.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Bias, Fairness & Equity
• Humans and AI: AI for Accessibility
• Machine Learning: Ethics, Bias, and Fairness

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Fairness and ethical considerations in crowd work and in human-in-the-loop AI systems
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness in the Global South extends beyond infrastructure to include curriculum design, workforce development, and cross-sector collaboration. Bangladesh, ranked 82nd in the 2023 Oxford Insights AI Readiness Index, exhibits significant deficits in technology capacity and research ecosystems, despite strong governmental visions. While HCI and ICTD research have explored digital inclusion and responsible AI, little empirical work examines how educational, industrial, and policy domains intersect to shape readiness. We present a multi-method qualitative study of AI readiness in Bangladesh, combining institutional analyses, 59 stakeholder interviews, and curriculum benchmarking against global exemplars. Findings reveal outdated curricula, limited faculty upskilling, inadequate computing resources, entrenched gender disparities, and the near-total absence of AI ethics instruction. We contribute empirical mapping of current practices, identification of structural and cultural barriers, and actionable pathways for embedding human-centered, inclusive, and responsible AI practices into national agendas, advancing equitable innovation in emerging AI ecosystems.

Problem

• AI readiness
• curriculum design
• workforce development
• AI ethics
• digital inclusion

Innovation

• AI readiness
• multi-method qualitative study
• curriculum benchmarking
• responsible AI
• Global South