AI regulation in Nepal (2026)

The Government of Nepal approved the National AI Policy 2082 on 11 August 2025, submitted by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. It is a policy directive, not primary legislation passed by Parliament, and therefore does not carry the force of binding law.

The policy mandates creation of an AI Regulation Council chaired by the Communications Minister, tasked with developing standards, recommending legal alignment with international norms, and overseeing compliance. The council is to convene at least twice yearly, but enabling legislation for its formal statutory powers was still pending as of 2026.

A National AI Centre under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was established (operational from November 2025) to coordinate AI research, international cooperation, and serve as secretariat to the AI Regulation Council.

The policy adopts UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as a reference framework, emphasising fairness, transparency, accountability, human rights, and data privacy. Safeguards for citizen rights and data security are stated goals, but there is no standalone data-protection or AI liability statute in force.

The policy itself commits to introducing new AI-specific laws, standards, and institutional rules and includes a biennial review mechanism. Experts and the CAN Federation have noted significant gaps in actual regulatory authority until dedicated legislation is enacted.

Commentators, including the Nepal Economic Forum and Himalayan Times, flag weak digital infrastructure, limited institutional capacity, absence of a comprehensive data-protection law, and risk of misuse by political actors as barriers to effective AI governance under the current policy-only framework.