Using Digital Innovation to Treat Substance Use in Bangladesh
I had the opportunity recently to attend ISSUP’s webinar “VibeCheck: An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral” presented by Dr. Oluwasikemi Alalade. The session highlighted the ways that artificial intelligence and digital health technologies can revolutionize how we detect, evaluate and address substance use challenges.
One of the most promising features of VibeCheck is the integration of validated screening tools with automated brief interventions and referral pathways. Digital platforms can provide immediate screening, risk assessment and direction to appropriate support services, rather than waiting for people to self-identify and seek professional help.
** Why digital solutions matter for Bangladesh
Substance use is becoming an increasingly difficult problem for Bangladesh, especially among the youth. We also know that the workforce providing mental health and addiction treatment services is often underfunded and experiencing shortages. As a Deputy Director at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), I know that digital innovations can help to fill this gap in many ways:
1. *De-stigmatization and increased access*
Fear, stigma and social judgment keep many people from getting help. Digital self-screening tools offer a private and confidential space for people to assess their risk and learn about options for support.
2. **Support with Evidence-Based Assessment**
Tools based on internationally recognised instruments such as WHO ASSIST and PHQ-9 can enhance the quality and consistency of screening and can assist professionals in prioritising those most in need of intervention.
3. **Expanding Reach Through Scalable Services**
Digital platforms can be the first point of contact for limited health resources to reach more of the population, especially in rural and underserved areas where specialized services are not available.
4. Building referral systems
Automated referral pathways assist people who are identified as being at risk to gain timely access to the right treatment, rehabilitation and community support services.
**Ethical governance: Fostering trust and safety
As Bangladesh looks to incorporate AI, we need to ensure that a “Ethics-by-Design” framework is adopted to ensure that the technology serves the public, not marginalizes the public. The major pillars are:
* **Algorithmic Fairness & Transparency** And we need to audit algorithms for demographic equity so they don’t have systemic bias. AI cannot be a ‘black box’ and users and clinicians need to understand why screening results are given to ensure clinical trust.
* **Dynamic Informed Consent:** Instead of a one-time “checkbox” for users, digital platforms should create “consent checkpoints” that inform users how sensitive data is stored, shared and protected.
* **Human-in-the-Loop Supervision**: Technology is a triage machine. No diagnosis or treatment plan is final without human clinical verification—professional judgment and therapeutic relationships should be front and center.
* **Data Governance** Addiction data is sensitive and local governance would need to follow strict privacy standards to prevent misuse of health information such as the *Bangladesh Digital Health Strategy 2023–2027*
** Bringing the digital age to rural communities
To make sure these innovations don’t deepen the gap between the urban and rural, we need to rethink our delivery models:
* **“Low-Tech” Compatibility:** Design for SMS or simple chat-style interfaces that work on basic mobile devices instead of high-end smartphones to make platforms compatible with low-bandwidth environments.
* **Community-Led Tech Navigators:** One work-around for the digital literacy barrier is training local community health workers as “tech navigators” to help guide rural populations through the screening process, which becomes a supported human-assisted experience.
* **Culturally-Adaptive User Interfaces:** Interfaces should be in local dialects and should utilize iconography to reach diverse populations. The tools should not be intimidating and should be culturally resonant.
* **Mixed referral routes: A village that does a digital screening should be automatically linked to the nearest physical “Wellbeing Center” so that a digital result is linked to a real-world support network.
## A Cooperative Roadmap for the Road Ahead
Technology and evidence-based professional practice are coming together to shape the future of addiction care. This change is supported by recent development in professional networking including expansion of ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter. This calls for a “Co-intelligence” model:
* Development of data sovereignty by policymakers and linking these tools to the National Digital Health Information Exchange (NDHIE).
* **Healthcare Professionals** need to become “AI-literate” to successfully use AI as a triage tool, while maintaining the human-centric therapeutic relationship.
* Researchers are required to conduct longitudinal studies to verify the efficacy and safety of these tools in local contexts.
* Technology Developers to incorporate explainability into their tools and make them accessible to the diverse digital world of Bangladesh.
***Visualizing the Path to Integration
The following infographic summarizes the roles and specific barriers for each stakeholder group and provides a visual guide for public health policy reform.
### Overview
The implementation of AI-powered solutions in the addiction treatment space in Bangladesh is a paradigm shift from a reactive, resource-constrained treatment to a proactive scalable and equitable public health solution. By adopting an "Ethics-by-Design" framework, policymakers and practitioners can ensure that technological advancement does not compromise patient privacy or human-centric clinical relationships. We also cross the digital divide with low-tech compatibility and community-led navigation, so that the benefits of innovation reach the most vulnerable in rural areas. The success of this digital transformation is in the **Endurance** of our policy frameworks and the **Resilience** of our community-based systems. The collaborative “Co-intelligence” model of bringing together policy makers, clinicians, researchers and developers will help Bangladesh build upon its prevention and treatment systems and help people before their substance use problems become major crisis.
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***References
* Alalade, O. (2026). VibeCheck: An AI Tool for Addiction Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral [Webinar Slides] ISSUP International Society of Substance Use Professionals.
Dey, U. (2026). *Positions and duties in Department of Narcotics Control (DNC)* [Personal Record/Professional Declaration]
* Government of Bangladesh. (2023). Digital Health Strategy Bangladesh 2023-2027. Digital Health ID and AI based Decision Support Systems. * [Policy Paper].
* International Society of Substance Use Professionals (2027). *Development of Substance Use Professional Network in Bangladesh* [Organization report].
**Begin the Discussion:**
Digital health transformation is a collective journey. What do you think is the one biggest opportunity, or the one biggest challenge, to bring AI-based mental health and addiction tools into our healthcare system here in Bangladesh? Please share your experiences in the comments below!
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