Prime Minister’s Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad has urged young people to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to solving real-life social challenges.

He made the call at the closing ceremony of the second edition of ‘FutureMakers’, an AI-based innovation competition organised by Grameenphone at a city hotel on Tuesday.

Asif said learning new technologies alone would not be enough to harness AI’s potential, stressing the need to apply them to practical problems.

He added that initiatives like FutureMakers provide students with opportunities to develop AI skills, turn innovative ideas into practical solutions and prepare for a technology-driven economy.

Team Labdhab won the competition with ‘EcoClip’, a device that attaches to a regular stethoscope to detect possible early signs of heart disease.

Team River Sentinel secured the first runner-up position with an AI-based river erosion forecasting system, while Team Zinxed finished third with ‘Spasto AI’, a speech therapy app that allows users to practise at home and track their progress.

The winning teams received prize money of Tk 3 lakh, Tk 2 lakh and Tk 1 lakh, respectively. Their members will also have direct opportunities to join Grameenphone’s ‘Next Business Leader’ and ‘Nextern Internship’ programmes.