The theme of the 2018 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which is being observed in Bangladesh today as elsewhere in the world, is 'Enabling the Positive Use of Artificial Intelligence for All'. That significant progress has been achieved in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its application in diverse fields such as robotics, big data, machine learning, cloud computing, digital assistants and the internet of things (IoT) is now universally acknowledged. The technology is emerging as a key component in innovative tools and applications that enable people to lead better life through advances in healthcare, education, finance, agriculture, transportation, and other services.
This year's theme of the day is meant to focus on the potential of AI to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) declared by the United Nations. The objective of the day is to stimulate reflection and exchange of ideas, debate various aspects of the theme and formulate report reflecting national discussions on issues underlying the theme. It is meant to generate awareness about the possibilities of using information and communication technologies (ICT) for the betterment of societies and economies, as well as for bridging the digital divide.
The use of AI-based applications is now getting increasingly diversified. However, for a developing country like Bangladesh, the scope for its productive use is still very limited. While the private sector may not wait for any government nod for increased proliferation of this technology among the consumers, the government should have a vision and action plan for integrating the technology and AI-based applications in various spheres of society and economy, including education, healthcare, agriculture, transportation, communication, finance and other services. For example, the applications in the domain of education currently include 'Intelligent Tutoring System' (ITS) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Financial applications include Algorithmic Trading based on automated system. Robots are common in many industries, especially in the developed countries. Healthcare applications include Clinical Decision Support System for Medical Diagnosis based on Concept Processing technology. Computer-aided Interpretation of Medical Images has been found to be very useful. Some AI applications are also geared towards the analysis of audiovisual media contents like movies, TV programmes, advertisement videos or user-generated contents. Automated Online Assistants have proved to be highly useful in providing customer services.
AI-based applications should be integrated in the socio-economy of the country. There is no alternative to holding dialogues with relevant stakeholders for devising future courses of action, and the government should provide leadership in this endeavour. This will just be following in the footsteps of technologically-rich developed countries. Only a few days ago, the president's office of the USA organised a Summit on AI for American Industry which devised strategies for the future. The government of Bangladesh should similarly adopt broad strategies like supporting the AI research-and-development eco-system, enhancing the skill of the workforce to take full advantage of the AI benefits, removing barriers to AI innovation, and enabling its high-impact sector-specific applications. Businesses also have considerable opportunities now to apply AI technology and invent new business capabilities for enhanced growth, profitability, and sustainability. It is critical that strategies are devised for AI applications which put people at the centre, help develop responsible AI systems by upholding ethical and moral values, drive positive outcomes for all stakeholders, and empower the people.