Artificial Intelligence and National Security: Can Bangladesh Build Strategic AI Capabilities?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly vital to national security, offering Bangladesh opportunities to enhance counterterrorism, cyber defense, and disaster response. While progress has been made in ICT training and infrastructure, gaps remain in defense integration, research funding, and talent development. Learning from India’s structured AI strategy and Estonia’s cybersecurity model, Bangladesh must adopt a phased, realistic approach—starting with high-impact areas and building long-term institutional capacity. A national AI security strategy, civil-military collaboration, and international partnerships are essential. Empowering local startups and academia will also drive innovation. Ethical and strategic use of AI can position Bangladesh as a responsible regional leader in tech-enabled security.