A Day at AI First Industry Leader

On 26 September 2026, Learning Bangladesh brought more than a hundred business owners and leaders together at The Westin Dhaka for AI First Industry Leader. We started at 10 in the morning and did not leave until midnight. It was one of the most useful days I have spent this year.

Learning from the people who build it

The programme was led by Sabbir Ahmed, founder of Learning Bangladesh and the chief instructor for the day, with Bappi Mahmud and Istiak Ahmed teaching alongside him. They did not only talk about AI. They showed it working, live, on real business tasks, and the room could see how quickly an idea can turn into something that runs.

I did not just watch. I sat in the room with Claude and built this website, faisalmahfuz.com, and launched it during the programme. A year ago that would have taken weeks and a team. That difference is the whole story.

My session: AI in a real business

The programme magazine for Season 1 carried my story on its cover, which was an honour I did not expect.

I was invited to speak for about half an hour. I spoke about AI as an operator, not a commentator: how we are using it across SUFI EMPIRE, what worked, what did not, and what it takes to move a traditional business onto modern systems.

I shared the journey of the group, and the progress of our real estate work under ZUFHAM, including ZUFHAM PIONEER in Purbachal. The point was not the projects themselves. It was the pattern behind them: clear values, strong systems, and technology that lets good people do more.

The response from the audience was humbling. Many came up afterwards to say they felt motivated to start implementing, not someday, but this week. That is the outcome I hoped for.

Build systems, not dependence. AI is the fastest way we have ever had to do that.

What I am taking home

Three things stayed with me. First, the gap between knowing about AI and using it is now mostly courage and habit, not cost. Second, the leaders who move first will set the standard for their whole industry. Third, the best use of AI is to free people for the work only people can do: serving customers, building trust and raising other leaders.

My thanks to Sabbir Ahmed, Bappi Mahmud, Istiak Ahmed and the whole Learning Bangladesh team for a day that was well designed and generously taught, and to every participant who stayed until midnight. Let us build.

— Faisal Mahfuz