Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said it must be ensured that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) tools are not used to hurt or undermine humanity.
The prime minister was responding to a question at the event New Economy and Society in Smart Bangladesh, organized by the World Economic Forum at its office in Switzerland.
PM's speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the program.
The prime minister put emphasis on putting safeguards against cyberattacks, disinformation and other vices.
Sheikh Hasina also called for ensuring that the 4IR does not create further divides within society. “We must build effective public-private partnerships at the international level for this purpose,” she said.
In this connection, she said her government has started preparing the youth of the country for the 4IR and the future of work.
“I am confident that our boys and girls will not just follow 4IR trends but will actually lead them,” she said.
She said she feels encouraged to see the kind of innovative work the country's students are doing in robotics.
“We have also seen great enthusiasm among them at the innovation fairs we have been organizing across the country,” said added.
The prime minister said Bangladesh would certainly welcome an independent 4IR centre in partnership with the WEF.
She added that her government is already working on having the right kind of legal policy and institutional framework for the 4IR.
“We have developed individual national strategies on artificial intelligence, the internet of things and nanotechnology,” she said
In this connection, she said that the government is setting up specialized institutes for frontier technologies, nanotechnology and other issues in different parts of the country.
“We have also launched a Smart Leadership Academy to develop future political leaders for smart governance,” she added.
She said Bangladesh, therefore, is taking a keen interest in the UN's work on developing a Global Digital Compact.
“We hope that this Global Compact will have clear guidelines for the international community on responsible and productive use of digital and frontier technologies.”