Communications Minister Calls for Fair AI Development at Global Forum
The Minister for Communications and Information Technology of Nepal, Prithvi Subba Gurung, highlighted the importance of democratizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure its benefits reach all societies. Speaking at the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai, he emphasized that AI is more than a tool—it is a global economic force.
Minister Gurung outlined Nepal’s commitment to open-source collaboration and ethical AI entrepreneurship. He urged governments, academia, and industry stakeholders to collaborate on developing AI technologies equitably, ensuring no community is left behind.
Nepal’s National AI Policy: A Blueprint for Inclusive Growth
Nepal is currently finalizing its National AI Policy, which aims to position the country as future-ready by leveraging AI for inclusive development, ethical innovation, and increased global competitiveness. The policy features several key initiatives, including:
- Establishing a National AI Center to oversee strategy, governance, and partnerships.
- Creating AI Excellence Centers within leading universities to drive research and innovation.
- Launching Provincial AI Innovation Hubs to decentralize AI access and build local expertise.
- Integrating AI into governance, education, agriculture, disaster response, and healthcare sectors.
- Implementing mandatory AI and digital skills training at all education levels to empower youth.
- Promoting ambitious national projects focused on Large Language Models (LLMs) and Computer Vision.
Bridging the Global AI Divide
Minister Gurung warned against the widening gap between AI-advanced economies and digitally underserved nations, stressing that this divide must not become the next frontier of inequality. Nepal seeks partnerships to improve access to computing resources, develop multilingual AI models, exchange talent, and foster innovation, especially among Global South countries.
Supporting a UN-led multilateral AI governance framework, Nepal advocates for principles centered on open cooperation, non-militarization, human rights protection, and meaningful inclusion of Global South voices in setting AI norms.
Focus on Inclusivity and Cultural Preservation
AI’s role in enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities, elderly populations, women, and children is a key priority. Nepal plans to promote AI systems that support local and regional languages, aiming to preserve culture and encourage broader societal participation.
Minister Gurung called on the international community to ensure that ethical and equitable AI policies leave no one behind and to integrate these considerations into global action plans.
Nepal’s Potential as an AI Innovation Hub
Nepal offers advantages such as clean energy, natural cooling, a skilled youth workforce, and strong political commitment, making it an attractive destination for AI research and development centers, data and compute infrastructure, and AI-powered government and education technologies.
He invited global technology leaders, venture capitalists, and development partners to collaborate with Nepal in its AI-driven transformation efforts.
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