We should be excited about AI, not fearful. With the right mindset, AI becomes a tool for creativity, problem-solving, and progress. To truly benefit, Nepal must nurture critical thinkers—people who can question, analyze, and adapt. Incorporating critical thinking exercises from the earliest years of schooling will empower the next generation to harness technology wisely, challenge misinformation, and drive the transformation Nepal needs.
Give women the tools of critical thought, and they will lead their communities out of manipulation and into a future built on truth and progress. Unfortunately, in many communities, manipulators and influential figures—including some women leaders—steer innocent people toward false beliefs and exploitative religious networks. Whether intentional or born of ignorance, this diversion undermines education, self-reliance, and problem-solving, stifling the growth of independent, questioning minds. Breaking this cycle requires empowering women themselves with critical thinking skills so they can lead the way in fostering informed, evidence-based community values. Policy makers should give women the tools of critical thought, and they will lead their communities out of manipulation and into a future built on truth and progress.
Vital attributes must be instilled in the minds of Nepal’s school and college students—alongside the standard syllabus. Teachers should sharpen students’ thinking with critical reasoning skills—the foundation for making informed decisions, spotting misinformation, and learning to question, evaluate, and verify before believing anything. My father late Dharma Ratna Yami was a renowned critical-thinking genius of his era, a man who challenged ignorance and stood for reason. Yet, religious manipulators—threatened by his ideas—sidelined him through slander, harassment, and abuse, seeking to silence his voice and dim his influence.
My father’s books were banned because he had the courage and clarity to express critical views without compromise. He embodied the truth that the measure of intelligence is the ability to change—a change he inspired in others through the power of his words.
As the number of critical thinkers grows and their capacity for thoughtful analysis deepens, rigid religious dominance and unquestioned rituals will gradually lose their grip. Over time, faith may take on a more personal, reflective role, while public life is guided more by evidence, ethics, and open dialogue.
If the training of AI falls into the wrong hands, the consequences will be far-reaching. Senior citizens—who have witnessed firsthand the damage caused by past manipulation—should take an active role in raising awareness. Their voices and lived experiences are powerful reminders of the dangers of concentrated control.
To break the cycle, Nepal must urgently invest in literacy and digital education across all regions, upgrade rural schools, train teachers, and ensure that those guiding AI development represent our full spectrum of languages, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Only then can AI become a tool for empowerment, rather than the newest weapon in the hands of the few.
Senior citizens of Nepal are the carriers of lived memory and moral authority—must step forward at a war footing to protect equity, awaken public awareness, and ensure that technology serves the many, not the manipulative few. Today, in Nepal’s rural core, the learning system remains deeply inadequate—teachers lack proper training, infrastructure is outdated, and resources are scarce. If large sections of our population remain illiterate or digitally unaware, how can we expect AI datasets to reflect the true realities of our diverse society without being manipulated by those in power? Illiteracy creates a dangerous vacuum where narratives can be distorted and biases embedded into technology without challenge.