Local firm develops Al to sense trouble

Imagine a mob is getting angry. The nearby CCTV will detect this unusual movement and immediately send an alert to the authorities concerned. This will allow them time to prevent any unpleasant incident.

Gaze Technology Ltd has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) software with such advanced capabilities in Bangladesh.

By now, we have an idea of what AI is – a system where machines are created and programmed to act like human beings.

Though the use of AI is widespread in developed countries, in Bangladesh it is still something new. Gaze Technology Ltd is a pioneering company innovating and implementing Artificial Intelligence in Bangladesh.

On Saturday, they became champions in the regional round of the Startup World Cup 2020.

Gaze technology is an initiative of two friends – Shehzad Noor Taus and Motasim Bir Rahman. Buddies since their school days, they had always wanted to do something together.

Shehzad Noor Taus and Motasim Bir Rahman, co-founders of Gaze Technology Ltd. Photo: Collected

Both of them went abroad for higher education. After his graduation, Shehzad worked at NVIDIA, a US-based artificial intelligence company while Motasim was residing in Canada working for a start-up.

Having kept in touch regularly, it occurred to the friends that since the work that they were doing in the field of AI was getting appreciation – they could use their skills to work for Bangladesh.

This is when they decided to come back to the country.

In 2017, they came back to Bangladesh with a plan to open a company based on AI that would offer quicker solutions to complicated problems.

Motasim explained, "Suppose you have planted 500 close circuit cameras for your safety. You will need a control room and workforce. They will watch out for discrepancies. This can be tiring and time-consuming."

He added, "We thought of creating an intelligence that will do the work on your behalf and alert you of unusual activities."

Alavya is their intelligent video analytics software system. It turns a CCTV into an analytical mind. With this software installed in an office, one can say goodbye to fingerprints. The software will supervise your attendance through the CCTV.

The software has capabilities like face recognition from CCTV footage or can look out for a targeted licence plate. It can track a vehicle through the surveillance system – contributing to road safety.

The team has collaborated on road safety with Dhaka Metropolitan police in 2018 on a project titled "Digital Dhaka."

Gaze Technology Ltd's first client was Meghna Group of industries. For Meghna, Alavya kept track of the time a truck takes to complete a job. This helped the company improve their performance.

After Meghna Group and the project with the Dhaka metropolitan police, people started taking interest in their software and wanted to know more about artificial intelligence.

Gradually, the team expanded. Now, Gaze Industry Ltd has a team of 20 people.

Motasim said, "Since there are many problems in our country, there is a larger scope for us to work."

He said starting to work with artificial intelligence was a bold move. But they are glad that they did it.

According to the CEO, Shehzad Noor Taus, winning the regional competition gave them the opportunity to represent Bangladesh globally.

He said, "So far, people have known Bangladesh for high use of apps, now they will know us as a country with hi-tech industrial capability."

He thinks Bangladesh has every possibility of becoming an AI hub. With the co-operation of the government, they think the peak is not very far.