KATHMANDU: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said that Artificial Intelligence (AI), when democratized, is not just a tool but a global economic force adding that its dividends in productivity and innovation must reach all societies.
Addressing the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, Minister Gurung said Nepal was committed to open-source collaboration and ethical AI entrepreneurship, and called on governments, academia, and industry to work together for equitable AI development.
He said Nepal was entering a defining phase of technological transformation and added that Nepal’s National AI Policy was in its final stage of approval. “This policy envisions a future-ready Nepal that leverages AI for inclusive development, ethical innovation, and global competitiveness,” he elaborated.
He said setting up a National AI Center to coordinate strategy, governance, and partnerships; AI Excellence Centers in top universities for research and innovation; Provincial AI Innovation Hubs to decentralize access and build local capacity; AI integration in governance, education, agriculture, disaster response, and healthcare; mandatory AI and digital skills programs across all education levels to empower youth and ambitious national projects in LLMs and Computer Vision are the key initiatives of Nepal’s National AI Policy.
The growing gap between AI-advanced economies and digitally underserved nations must not become the next frontier of inequality, he added.
“Nepal seeks global partnerships for compute access, multilingual model development, talent exchange, and innovation across the Global South,” Minister Gurung viewed.
According to Minister Gurung, Nepal strongly supports the UN-led multilateral AI governance mechanism; principles of open cooperation, non-militarization, and human rights protection and the meaningful representation of Global South voices in setting global AI norms.
He said Nepal emphasizes the need for greater focus on the application of AI to enhance accessibility for persons with disabilities, elderly populations, women, and children. “Equally important is the promotion of AI systems that support local and regional languages, ensuring inclusivity, cultural preservation, and broader societal engagement.”
Gurung added that we believe that truly ethical and equitable AI governance must leave no one behind, and we urge the global community to incorporate these considerations into the final Action Plan.
Likewise, he said Nepal offers clean energy, natural cooling, a skilled youth population, and political will — making it a promising destination for AI R&D centers; data and compute infrastructures; AI-enabled GovTech and EduTech and AI-driven services.
He also urged the global technology leaders, VCs, and development partners to collaborate in Nepal’s AI-powered transformation.
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