An Overview of Bangladesh National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2024

Bangladesh has very recently formulated the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2024 (AI Policy 2024) to effectively address the social, legal and ethical issues associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The new policy mainly provides guidelines for the governance, adoption, and development of AI applications and their integration across different sectors of the government. The new policy  prioritises sectors like education, public service, healthcare, transportation, telecommunication,  environment, finance, manufacturing, and agriculture etc. However, the policy does not provide any details regarding the use and integration of artificial AI in the domains of defence and national security. The policy indicates the establishment of an independent National Artificial Intelligence Center for Excellence (NAICE) under the guidance of a proposed National AI Advisory Council. NAICE will collaborate with the ICT Division, relevant ministries, academia, industry, and civil society to take the necessary steps to introduce an institutional framework for implementing AI policy.

The challenges of implementing AI have also been addressed in the Policy by prescribing the formation of a monitoring committee to oversee ethical concerns related to AI's applications in both the private and public sectors. However, the policy might have underestimated the potential risks of AI implementation. For instance, the policy has no significant guideline to address organised cyber-crimes such as the 'Bangladesh Bank Money Heist' issue. International collaboration mechanisms in dealing with future cyber threats and AI generated crimes should have been addressed clearly with necessary legal recourses. Further, the major challenges concern the absence of a skilled workforce to deal with AI, data security, moral practice, lack of infrastructure, digital divide, and other regulatory issues. There are very few insights with respect to the ossification strategy to overcome the challenges. Moreover, it does not clarify the strategies Bangladesh will employ to uphold global cooperation in the application of AI.

In 2018, India introduced its National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence prioritising education, healthcare, agriculture, transportation and smart cities to create a roadmap for the integration of AI in India's key sectors. India has also launched other programmes like "Responsible AI for Social Empowerment", "AI Task Force" and the "National AI Portal" for the integration and development of AI.

The ever-growing landscape of AI necessitates cooperation not only just between the public and private sectors but also among nations to attain prosperity for humanity at large. Therefore, Bangladesh should engage in partnerships and collaborations with foreign nations and organisations to promote research and innovation in the field of AI. Additionally, it is recommended that Bangladesh should engage in regular participation in international conferences, forums, cross-border collaborative AI projects, and programmes aimed at facilitating the transfer of AI knowledge and practice. Nevertheless, the implementation of the AI Policy 2024 in various sectors will provide a better understanding of its success and the potential of AI's use in Bangladesh.

Despite introducing the AI Policy 2024, to achieve a delicate balance between fostering the integration of AI and mitigating risks, the government may face some practical challenges. The government may take necessary steps to overcome the challenges and achieve a workable solution. For instance, the government should develop a large-scale infrastructure to support the research and development of AI for its effective application.

Most importantly, Bangladesh should introduce internationally compatible AI laws, regulations, norms and practices to maintain similar standards to AI superpowers like the U.S.A., EU and China. Further, collaboration between academia and industry is essential for introducing effective AI education to develop the necessary skills. While the AI Policy 2024 of Bangladesh mandates the University Grants Commission to establish the AI research hub, the development of other national programmes through public-private partnerships may foster innovation, integration, and further AI development.

The writer is a corporate legal professional.