From farms to factories to governance, AI has the potential to transform Bangladesh’s future. The real question is whether leaders will seize it.
For decades, development in the Global South followed a predictable script: countries depended on foreign aid, loans, and donor-driven programs to build infrastructure, strengthen healthcare, and expand education. While this model delivered some results, it often reinforced dependency and slowed genuine autonomy. Bangladesh has lived this reality for much of its modern history. But artificial intelligence (AI) now promises to break that cycle.
Unlike past technologies, AI is not simply another incremental advance. It represents a fundamental step change in human capability, enabling societies to analyze vast amounts of data, predict outcomes, and automate decisions at unprecedented speed. For developing countries, this means the possibility of leapfrogging barriers such as weak infrastructure or a shortage of skilled professionals. The costs of AI systems are falling rapidly, cloud-based platforms are more accessible, and mobile connectivity is already widespread in Bangladesh. For the first time, technology offers a chance to define development on homegrown terms rather than donor dictates.
The opportunities are striking. In agriculture, AI-powered apps can give farmers real-time advice on planting and pest control. In neighboring India, such systems have reduced crop losses by nearly a third; similar tools could transform the livelihoods of Bangladesh’s 16 million farmers. Healthcare tells another compelling story. With fewer than one doctor for every 2,500 citizens, access to care remains a chronic challenge. AI-assisted diagnostics for tuberculosis or maternal complications, delivered through telemedicine, could extend medical advice to millions in underserved areas.
Education and employment are equally critical. As youth unemployment hovers above 10 percent, AI-driven online learning can deliver digital skills and expand the country’s IT outsourcing sector into higher-value services. Even governance stands to gain. Pilot projects in traffic management and land registration already hint at how AI might reduce corruption, cut red tape, and make public services more efficient.
Yet the risks are real and demand attention. The garment industry, which employs 4 million workers, is already confronting automation in factories worldwide. Without large-scale retraining programs, AI could displace more workers than it creates. Inequality poses another danger. If digital tools benefit only urban elites or multinational firms, rural citizens could fall further behind. Data misuse represents a third challenge. Without strong privacy and ethics laws, AI could enable surveillance or biased decision-making. The point is not to avoid AI for fear of these risks but to confront them and build guardrails for safe, inclusive adoption.
That is why the next steps must be urgent and concrete. Investment in digital literacy, particularly for youth and women, is essential. Universities should create AI centers of excellence while vocational programs equip workers with transferable digital skills. Government and industry must collaborate to scale AI in health, agriculture, and education, with NGOs and telecoms bridging the last mile. Parliament should move quickly to pass comprehensive data protection and AI ethics legislation.
Other countries are moving ahead decisively. India has launched a $1.2 billion AI mission, while Rwanda is deploying AI to modernize agriculture and governance. If Bangladesh hesitates, it risks falling behind. The global AI economy could add $15 trillion to GDP by 2035. Whether Bangladesh captures even a fraction depends on choices made in the next decade.
Development in the 20th century was about foreign aid and donor programs. Development in the 21st will be about self-determination and indigenous innovation. Bangladesh has the chance to show that with foresight and bold action, AI can empower rather than divide, strengthen rather than weaken, and transform dependence into autonomy. The revolution is already here. The question is whether Bangladesh will seize it now—or be left to play catch-up once again.
Sabbir Pervez is a PhD candidate at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, where his research focuses on digital governance, artificial intelligence, and development in South Asia.
