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

AI ethics is almost entirely absent from Bangladesh's educational system: The study found a "near-total absence of AI ethics instruction" in curricula, meaning students entering the AI workforce have little to no training in responsible AI practices, bias mitigation, or ethical decision-making—critical gaps for developing trustworthy AI systems.

Gender disparities in AI education and workforce remain deeply entrenched: The research identified "entrenched gender disparities" across academia and industry, suggesting that Bangladesh's AI development is not benefiting from diverse perspectives and may perpetuate biased outcomes if women remain underrepresented in AI roles.

Infrastructure and faculty capacity severely limit AI readiness: The study documented "outdated curricula, limited faculty upskilling, and inadequate computing resources," indicating that even motivated institutions lack the basic tools and expertise needed to prepare students for modern AI work—a structural barrier that cannot be overcome through policy alone.

Government vision exists but lacks coordination across sectors: While Bangladesh has "strong governmental visions" for AI development, the research reveals disconnects between what policymakers want and what academia and industry can actually deliver, highlighting the need for better cross-sector collaboration to translate ambitions into reality.

Emerging economies need tailored, not imported, AI readiness strategies: The findings suggest that Global South countries like Bangladesh cannot simply copy AI development models from wealthy nations; instead, they need locally-grounded solutions addressing their specific educational, cultural, and resource constraints to build equitable AI ecosystems.