DHAKA, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS) - The Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) today held first-ever "Responsible AI Summit 2026" in Bangladesh under the auspices of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at Dhaka Cantonment here.

It has been recognized as an important initiative in the practice of responsible and ethical artificial intelligence in the country, said a release of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate today.

Women and Children Affairs Adviser Sharmin S Murshid, also in charge of the Ministry of Social Welfare, was present at the opening ceremony as the chief guest, where a few sessions were also held on different topics.

MIST Commandant Major General Mohammad Nasim Parvez was present as the Chief Patron with Brigadier General Mohammad Shahjahan Mojib, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), in the chair.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Sharmin S. Murshid highlighted the importance and potential of Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the development of the industrial sector and effective policy formulation in the context of Bangladesh.

In this context, the MIST Commandant mentioned that MIST would always actively work to develop technologies related to Responsible Artificial Intelligence through education and research, said the release.
 
Assistant Professor at Northeastern University Dr Upol Ehsan presented his keynote paper at the summit and Berkman Klein Fellow at Harvard University, a well-known researcher in Human-Centered Explainable AI (HCXAI) research.

Among others, Associate Prof Dr SM Tayyabul Haque (BRAC University), Prof Dr Nova Ahmed (North South University), Associate Prof Dr. Kazi Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui (MIST), Commandant Major General Md. Nasim Parvez, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Bondstein Technologies Mir Shahrukh Islam, CEO and Chairperson of UY Systems Limited Farhana Anwar Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the ICT Department Arafat Mohammad Noman and Managing Director of Graphic People and Software People Imtiaz Elahi also took part in the discussion in several separate session on the event.

During the discussion, they highlighted the importance of developing indigenously developed AI solutions that are compatible with the realities and needs of Bangladesh.

The discussion brought up different perspectives on how academics can play a role in the responsible AI practices of institutions. Besides, how to ensure the responsible use of AI technology in Bangladesh as a developing country was also discussed in detail at the event.

Students from 12 universities, including MIST, Dhaka University (DU), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), BRAC University, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), Islamic University of Technology (IUT) took part in the competition.

Subsequently awards were given to the first four teams in project presentation and the first four teams in poster exhibition, the ISPR added.