Nepal Unveils AI Policy to Boost Economy, Public Services, and Security
Nepal launches its first comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Policy, targeting GDP growth, efficient public services, and 5,000 skilled AI professionals within five years.
The Government of Nepal has officially launched its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2082, with the vision of building a human-centered, ethical, and prosperous Nepal through AI. The policy outlines four major objectives: accelerating economic growth, enhancing public service delivery, building a sustainable AI ecosystem, and strengthening AI governance.
An AI Regulation Council, chaired by the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, and an AI Center will be established within three months. The policy also commits to preparing at least 5,000 skilled professionals in the field of AI over the next five years.
Nepal aims to climb into the top 50 of the Global AI Readiness Index—a stark improvement from its current 150th position in the 2024 Oxford Insights ranking. The policy also proposes creating a National AI Index to monitor quality, security, and reliability of AI systems deployed in Nepal.
AI applications will extend across agriculture, industry, and services—supporting crop disease monitoring, digital marketplaces, smart grids in energy, traffic management, financial crime detection, and even disaster prediction (earthquakes, floods, and landslides).
The government has pledged to establish green data centers in Himalayan and high-hill regions, simplify digital infrastructure investments, and enact data protection laws to safeguard ownership and security of personal and institutional data.
Officials highlight that the policy also addresses risks such as misinformation, deepfakes, cyber security threats, and misuse of intellectual property. Joint investments from public and private sectors, as well as knowledge and capital from the Nepali diaspora, will be mobilized to scale AI innovation.