Kailain, a remote village in Chandina Upazila, Comilla, is set to become Bangladesh’s first AI-powered village. This innovative project, initiated by the Patwary Foundation, aims to foster empowerment, innovation, and sustainable growth in rural communities.
Supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UK-based company Digital Readiness and Intelligent Systems Ltd. (D-Ready), and Bangladesh’s AIIT organization, the initiative blends technology and community-driven solutions to improve livelihoods.
The project comprises two primary teams:
- Student Team: Twenty bright students from grades six to ten of Kailain-Tulpai High School, trained in AI applications.
- Community Team: Twenty underprivileged villagers equipped with resources like papaya, chili, and vegetable seedlings, along with poultry to start sustainable ventures.
Both groups have received training, tools, and support. Dr. Alamgir Hossain, a former head of Dhaka University’s Computer Science Department and CEO of D-Ready, emphasized modern farming practices aided by AI. Villagers are encouraged to document progress weekly, upload photos, and resolve issues using AI-powered diagnostics.
Essential resources, including laptops, soil and water testing sensors, iPads, smartphones, projectors, and the book AI in School, have been provided. The initiative seeks to transform Kailain into a hub of AI-driven rural entrepreneurship, creating a sustainable model for economic empowerment.
Dr. Alamgir Hossain, who has decades of experience as an AI professor in Cambridge, is determined to use his expertise to uplift his birthplace, Kailain, setting a precedent for AI integration in rural Bangladesh.
Via – Amader Somoy