Bangladesh has launched its first AI-powered platform for the Bangla language, Kagoj.ai, alongside a new Julai font designed for official use.
The initiative, aimed at advancing digital Bangla language processing, was officially unveiled on Monday at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.
The launch event was attended by Faiz Ahmed Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser and Shish Haider Chowdhury, Secretary of the ICT Division.
Developed under the “Enrichment of the Bangla Language in Information Technology through Research and Development” programme by the Bangladesh Computer Council, Kagoj.ai uses Bangla Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and speech-to-text technologies to digitise and convert non-searchable Bangla content into editable formats.
The platform also incorporates text-to-speech capabilities, offering an efficient solution for documentation, content creation, and language processing.
Taiyeb explained that the technology addresses challenges posed by outdated systems, such as the Bijoy font, and emphasized the need to make knowledge in traditional books accessible digitally.
He highlighted that Kagoj.ai is a key step towards overcoming limitations in existing systems and noted its potential to transform Bangla content processing.
The Julai font was introduced as part of the initiative to ensure compatibility between Bangla and English scripts.
Chowdhury emphasised the importance of this development in preserving Bangladesh’s 40+ indigenous languages, marking a significant achievement in the country’s efforts to digitise and preserve linguistic heritage.
The project has already gathered 10,000 minutes of spoken data from nearly 40 languages, including Chakma, with plans to expand.
It aims to reduce the labour involved in converting hard-copy documents and will be accessible through open APIs, benefiting organisations with weak security systems.
Kagoj.ai is set to be integrated into devices by 18 mobile manufacturers in Bangladesh over the next 6 to 12 months, positioning Bangladesh as a leader in AI-driven language technologies and digital Bangla empowerment.
