Bangladesh drafts national AI policy

Bangladesh is formulating a human-centric National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, as announced by Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Faqir Mahbub Anam at the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 in China — Shanghai, China, on July 18, 2026. The policy aims to ensure ethical, safe, and inclusive use of AI, and includes initiatives to strengthen data protection, cybersecurity, guidelines for public-sector AI deployment, responsible data management, expansion of AI education, and establishment of decentralized AI Centres of Excellence. Anam proposed four global AI governance priorities: safety, equity, adaptability, and international cooperation, and called for stronger international collaboration on technology transfer, capacity building, data sovereignty, and equitable access for developing countries.