Bhutan opens high-level AI governance workshop: safe adoption, inclusive access, youth innovation
January 13, 2026 - Thimphu
Photo: KUENSEL
A high-level workshop to strengthen Bhutan's capacity in AI policy and governance began in Thimphu today. Following an initial consultation, a one-and-a-half-day training is helping policymakers, government officials, and thought leaders clarify AI's role in public service, ethics, and cybersecurity.
The 'Bridging Borders through AI' initiative is a Canadian-led regional programme, implemented with Humber Polytechnic and Social and Media Matters.
Shared learning, grounded in GNH
Canada's Deputy Ambassador to Bhutan, Mark Allen, called the consultation an opportunity for shared learning. He noted that while Canada is a leader in AI, Bhutan's focus on mindfulness and Gross National Happiness offers lessons for making technology serve human well-being.
Allen highlighted a common goal: deploy AI to support equitable economic growth and help address climate change, health, and education. Tradition and modernity, he said, must work together.
Core training focus
- Adopt AI safely across government and public services
- Promote inclusive digital spaces that reduce barriers for underserved groups
- Empower youth-led innovation and participation
What stakeholders surfaced
- Education: urgent need for clear frameworks to guide AI in schools and universities
- Equity: close the digital divide, with attention to rural and remote communities
- Infrastructure: manage data centre energy demand to avoid strain on the power grid
- Safety: define protections and remedies when people are misled or defrauded by large language models and other AI tools
- Sovereignty: adopt AI in ways that respect Bhutan's cultural context and values, as emphasised by Amitabh, co-founder of Contrails.AI
Practical steps for ministries and agencies
- Map AI use cases by impact and risk class; apply a standard risk approach such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (NIST AI RMF).
- Establish clear incident reporting and redress for AI-enabled harms (misinformation, fraud, discrimination).
- Update procurement to require model documentation, testing results, data protection measures, and human-in-the-loop controls.
- Prioritise rural connectivity and device access in digital inclusion budgets.
- Plan energy and cooling for data centres, with efficiency standards and renewable integration.
- Embed data ethics and AI literacy in teacher training and civil service learning pathways, aligned to the UNESCO recommendation on AI ethics (UNESCO).
- Create a simple safety baseline: age-appropriate safeguards, content provenance, clear consent, and transparent use notices for public-facing tools.
- Stand up a cross-agency AI steering group to coordinate policy, security, and infrastructure decisions.
Education and service delivery
Ali Owayid, an AI expert in education and faculty member at Humber Polytechnic, recommended putting data awareness and its implications directly into the national curriculum. He shared Canadian practices showing how AI is integrated into immigration, taxation, and healthcare, with success tied to a clear national strategy.
For Bhutan, that means coupling classroom tools with teacher support, privacy-by-design, and evidence on learning outcomes. Start small, measure results, and scale what works.
Outputs and timeline
Recommendations from the consultation will be compiled into a white paper and presented to GovTech by mid-March. A GovTech official said the paper will serve as a reference point for AI governance in the country.
About 40 participants from government, the private sector, and educational institutions are attending. Similar programmes are underway in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India.
Capacity building
For teams planning training by job role, see curated options here: Complete AI Training - courses by job.
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