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Starting on 3 Nov 2017, the Université de Montréal, a premier higher education institution in North America and beyond, initiated an ambitious journey that involved hundreds of citizens that came together to discuss Artificial Intelligence.

In partnership with multiple stakeholders including the provincial and local governments and academic think tanks including the prestigious Mila—Quebec AI Institute, the goal of this exercise was ambitious and pioneering at the same time: defining the key ethical principles who should drive the development of AI.

Through multiple sessions covering different topics and themes, around 500 participants started discussing broad ranging ethical principles that should always be at the foundations of any discourse on AI. The whole undertaking was defined as a “collective”, an informal initiative where associations, think tanks, government agencies, academic institutions and citizens come together to discuss and deliberate on one of the most daunting topics of our society.

We are talking of an unprecedented technology with untapped potential that, at the same time, carries enormous risks. The shift towards an AI centered economy, if not properly and adequately managed could trigger tectonic consequences that can be devastating.

Nepal recently approved its first ever AI Policy. This is, without questions, an important milestone for the country but from here, where to go? How to ensure that this new document will be different from other policies that, almost by default, always struggle to get implemented? The new policy envisions also a set of new institutions like an AI Regulation Council and a National AI Center.

A new AI-driven and centered governance is being shaped but will these institutions be effective, meaningful and, importantly, inclusive? Will experts and citizens alike be enabled and allowed to participate beyond the usual tokenistic approaches? Like for climate change, our societies are utterly unprepared for what might happen with an unregulated AI.

As I wrote in this column a few weeks ago advocating for a new set of multi-stakeholder governance that can address the challenges of climate warming, I do believe that an emerging nation like Nepal that aspires to become a lower middle income economy over the next decade, must be prepared. Both challenges, climate and AI, will test the resilience of our systems.

Certainly, more developed and industrialized nations will have to face more daring times, especially in relation to the shocks their economies might suffer from a race to the bottom in which corporations will cut their work-force and rely more on AI agents. In both cases, the resilience of our political systems, especially in democratic settings like the ones Nepal is enjoying, could come under stress.

We are already aware of the risks associated with waves of social media driven waves of misinformation and disinformation. These problems are going to be further magnified by AI. That’s why we need to talk about a Just Transition, an important element of the climate discourse, also for the rollout of AI, ensuring that no one is left behind, including the most vulnerable classes.

Frankly speaking, the concept of leaving no one behind might be way too timid for a future dominated AI. Actually, the risks posed by the AI are more about crashing and rolling over millions of people rather than leaving them behind. In order to be able to tackle a potentially devastating scenario, the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence based at Stanford University, has come up with a series of important research papers inspired by what the Founding Fathers of the American republic had done with the Federalist Papers.

Entitled the Digitalist Papers, the contributions, written by renown luminaries from across different disciplines, offer insights and suggestions to ensure that AI systems can, as Dario Amodei explained in a powerful essay, “Machines of Loving Grace”, be capable of doing incredible and so far unthinkable things for the benefits of humanity.

Amodei, the CEO and co-founder of Anthropic, is one of those sector leaders who are the most aware of the potential downside of an unrestricted, unethical turbocharging of AI systems. Among these essays that are aimed at rethinking America’s social compact and strengthening its democratic political systems in such a way that it can thrive in an era of AI, Lawrence Lessing, a legal scholar at Harvard Law School, penned “Protected Democracy”.

In an era where democracies are already being tested and are showing deep cracks in the system, Lessing calls for forums where citizens can discuss and deliberate without any undue influence and undeterred by the polarization that already is eroding the trust in democracies. He proposes the establishment of forms of “protected democracy” based on citizens being able to come together, discuss and deliberate based on reasons and facts. “Democratic choice requires participants engaging on the basis of a common understanding of a common set of facts. We already don’t have that; AI will give us even less” he wrote.

“We live now in an unprotected democracy. As we come to our views about what is to be done and who is to be supported, we are exposed to information by a media that has an agenda unrelated to crafting collective, coherent understanding”. Lessing thinks of citizens’ assemblies as forms of “protected assemblies”.

The risks associated with AI can derail the democratic fabric of the United States of America due to its power to further polarize the society by spreading misinformation, disinformation and overall turbocharging orchestrated campaigns of maligned political influence. It will also widen the equality gap because AI systems will be controlled by a miniscule group of powerful interests, a combination of political and economic actors within a few nations.

Lessing concludes,”We, as a people, are thus increasingly vulnerable politically to the effect of AI.” While the Digitalist Papers are focused on America, also developing nations, especially democracies like Nepal, must be prepared. That’s why it is important to start a conversation in a very structured fashion on how AI can shape the future development trajectories that Nepal is striving to achieve.

Deliberative democracy, a topic I often cover in my pieces, can truly make the difference in involving and engaging the people, especially the young ones, in a future where AI will increasingly play a significant role. Slowly the effects of AI systems that potentially might not be completely under human control whose outcomes cannot be understood (the problem of interpretability), will also be felt here in Nepal.

This is not a dystopian scenario but the phase in which AI reaches the level of Artificial General Intelligence, AGI that equals and exceeds human capacities, is not far from now. AGI will be the biggest scientific breakthrough that, as fascinating and as potentially scary as it will be, will represent a steppingstone for a further giant jump, the arrival of an inevitable superintelligence akin to what we watch now in the movies.

Internationally, there have been also discussions to create a Global Citizens Assembly focused on AI. ISWE Foundation, a leader in the promotion of transnational models of citizens’ deliberation, together with Connected by Data, has already conducted some studies. Can also the policy makers of Nepal imagine similar initiatives in which the people are empowered to first understand and second to decide how AI could be developed?

Because of its young generations who thrive in the digital world, Nepal could stop being a slow mover that just simply copycats the best practices. While it would be silly not to learn from the experiences matured by the major developed economies in the field of AI, Nepal must also take the lead. From a late adapter, the country could become a trailblazer at least in terms of showing the world that is doing its homework to lay down a pathway to harness AI for the benefit of its people.

On 4 Dec 2018, after a year of intensive debate, amid the cold of Quebec’s winter, the Montréal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence was endorsed. Its ten principles are centered on well-being, respect for autonomy, protection of privacy and intimacy, solidarity, democratic participation, equity, diversity inclusion, prudence, responsibility and lastly sustainable development. The declaration is a blueprint to guide any nation trying to develop a safe and secure AI framework.

It was a truly pioneer document that ensured some basic forms of legitimacy because citizens ‘participation was a key cornerstone to the whole initiative. Interestingly as a collective, the stakeholders involved in facilitating the discussions also conducted other activities including research and educational training on AI and human rights.

How will AI help transform Nepal? Will the country be able to gain from this new technology while minimizing its side effects or will the nation continue to blindly follow others without any homework? For AI to be a WIN WIN in the country, let’s involve and engage its citizens. The AI policy that the federal government just approved is important but the way it will be executed will be even more crucial.

When I was growing up in Kathmandu, science often felt distant and confined to textbooks. We memorized the contents for exams and conducted experiments in the labs with limited resources. We rarely talk about how we apply science in our daily lives, and the significance of scientific research in the advancement of the nation.

Today, as a PhD student in the United States, I see that gap more clearly than ever. A few months ago, I got an opportunity to visit the US Capitol in Washington, DC, to meet with the lawmakers as part of the science advocacy effort. During the visit, I talked about the necessity of investing in scientific research and how that is connected to better health and stronger societies. It was a surreal moment for someone who began an academic journey in Nepal. But more importantly, it made me understand how much Nepal can gain if we start valuing scientific research as part of our national development plan.

As I shared my journey as an international student from Nepal to the United States and my research on gut microbiota and high blood pressure with the staff of the lawmakers at Capitol Hill, they were all ears. I basically emphasized how investment in science can create not only opportunities for students like me, but it fuels discoveries that benefit people worldwide by finding solutions to problems that affect global health. What struck me the most was how the staff members listened attentively and promised to brief the lawmakers on our conversation regarding the inevitability of sustained investment in scientific research.  

So why does this matter in the context of Nepal?

It is because the challenges Nepal is facing are directly connected to science.

Take health, for example. Hypertension or high blood pressure and diabetes are common pressing issues that affect almost every household in Nepal. Thousands of people lose their lives to these conditions every year. It is not only shortening the lives of people but also burdening the family. Research can help us understand why these conditions are rising in Nepal and give us an idea to develop affordable and effective treatment strategies and prevent future incidence.

Or consider climate change. Nepal is on the frontline of its impacts. Floods and landslides are increasing, and air pollution in the major cities always exceeds the safe limits. These conditions affect our livelihood, economy, food and health systems, so they demand scientific solutions. We cannot be fully prepared to face these challenges by relying on foreign studies, which may not fully reflect Nepal’s geography and social structure. We need to have a culture of supporting scientific ideas and promoting national research.

This is where advocacy comes into play. Advocacy is not always about meeting with the members of parliament or government officials. It is about communicating science, which is understandable to everyone, and making the science visible. It could also mean explaining and communicating scientific ideas via articles, blog posts, podcasts or through videos in a layman’s language to the public, students and leaders. All these actions should reflect the importance of scientific research. Advocacy also includes visiting schools and colleges to inspire young minds, organizing science fairs or festivals and events. It could also mean urging the policymakers to stop seeing scientific research investment as an expense but a crucial requirement in the development of health, education and the national economy. The more openly we talk about science, research, and policy, the better prepared we become in addressing challenges that hold back scientific progress. 

On the bus ride back from Capitol Hill, I realized that scientific progress is often undervalued in Nepal. We still depend upon neighboring countries to import basic kits for research activities. We need to support national entrepreneurs to invest in developing research tools in their home country, so the budding scientists do not have to wait for months to get access to the research tools.

Our universities and schools are full of talented students and researchers, but without sufficient resources, funding, advocacy and support, meaning their talent hardly reaches the public or policymakers. We must value scientific research by supporting young scientists, funding local research projects and ensuring that scientific research outcomes are regularly discussed with the public and policymakers.

Through my own journey, I have come to believe that speaking up for science is as important as doing science. Through the American Physiological Society’s Early-career Advocacy Fellowship, I have been committed to strengthening my advocacy efforts, designing advocacy tools and writing for the public to become a long-term advocate for scientific research. Beyond this fellowship, I am writing science blog articles, visiting high schools to demonstrate science experiments and serving as a science fair judge. These experiences have deepened my belief that science belongs to all, not just to those who wear lab coats.

Science is not distant. It is in the medicines that save lives, the clean water that keeps us healthy and the policies that protect us from floods and pollution. Whether in the halls of the US Capitol or the classrooms of Kathmandu, the message is the same: science matters. If we are to meet the challenges of tomorrow as a nation, we must start advocating for and investing in research today.

Indeed, it does make a world of difference. We all fall prey to bad body posture at one time or another. But how often do we think about it? Rarely, right? Most likely, you might be hunching over while reading this very article—a habit that has become almost second nature. But what if I told you that your posture could affect your health more than you realize?  

Did you know that maintaining a good posture can do more than make you look intelligent and alert? It can also bring a myriad of health benefits, which you should be aware of. Imagine feeling more energetic, less stressed, and even more confident just by improving your posture. These are the rewards that await you when you make the conscious effort to correct your posture. It’s not just about how you look but how you feel and function daily. The potential for a healthier, more vibrant life is within your reach, inspiring you to take action.

These are the dividends that await you when you make the conscious effort to correct your posture. It’s not just about how you look but how you feel and function daily. The potential for a healthier, more vibrant life is within your reach, inspiring you to take action. Remember, posture correction is not an unattainable goal, but a journey that is achievable and beneficial. 

Let’s check out what is considered bad posture.

• If you’re slouching with your shoulders hunched forward or slumping.
• You have a rounded shoulder and tend to lean or crane your head forward more than the natural angle.
• Your knees are bent while walking or standing.
• Or, odds are your prolonged habit has made your natural curve of the lower back (lumbar) area, called lordosis, to extreme curves, causing your potbelly to stick out like a sore thumb.

If you work most of the day at a desk for long hours, paying extra attention to your body posture is all the more critical. The sketch furnished here speaks volumes.

Poor posture can have adverse health effects, including stiffness and pain in the neck, shoulder, and back, sore muscles, spinal dysfunction, and rapid joint degeneration. It can also negatively affect breathing, digestion, and headaches. Furthermore, prolonged bad posture can lead to more severe conditions such as herniated discs, sciatica, and even cardiovascular issues. It’s crucial to consult healthcare professionals to ensure you're well-informed and on the right track to correcting your posture. Their guidance and support will be invaluable on your journey to better posture.

There is more: Did you know that sticking to the wrong posture may also lead to premature aging? It can also interfere with your skin health, inducing premature wrinkling and sagging. That said, maintaining poor body posture can accelerate your aging process and make you appear older.  Would you prefer to look like a slouchy older man at the prime age of 40? Would you? No way!

So, the knotty question is: What is the best posture?

The ticket to good posture is the position of your spine. Your spine has three natural curves—neck, mid-back, and lower back. So, to maintain flawless body posture, you have to sustain these curves and not stretch them beyond their limits. Your head should be above your shoulders, and the top of your shoulders should be over your hips, whether you are sitting, standing, or lying down.

In short, a ‘good’ posture reflects: head up, looking straight ahead, back straight, shoulders thrown back but relaxed, chin in, weight balanced on both feet, knees straight, and your tummy tucked in.

Good posture offers a neutral spine with muscles, joints, and supporting ligaments so aligned that they provide minimum stress, allow more body flexibility, reduce fatigue, and help sustain body balance. While taking a stroll, our eyes latch onto some people who look physically attractive and symmetrical in appearance. That’s what defines a healthy man with a good posture. To add more, postural symmetry and good health go hand in glove. 

Good posture promises a bright, slim look, robustness, and flexibility, all essential to keeping you fit as a fiddle. Poor posture leads to musculoskeletal distortion in the neck and back as the spine gets stretched into an unnatural position for an extended period.

Some vivid examples include sitting before your desktop, hunched over your cell phone, slouching on your couch, watching TV, and so on. Bad postures are not to be taken for granted. If left unaddressed, these conditions can lead to musculoskeletal distortion in the neck and back as the spine gets stretched into an unnatural position for an extended period, leading to stiffness and pain in the neck, shoulder, and back, sore muscles, spinal dysfunction, and rapid joint degeneration.

Furthermore, prolonged bad posture can lead to more severe conditions such as herniated discs, sciatica, and even cardiovascular issues. It’s crucial to understand the potential risks of bad posture and take steps to correct it.

So, what’s the remedy for bad body posture? Is Bad Posture Permanent? Nope! There is nothing to get overly alarmed about. The good news is that yoga, stretching, and exercise can restore or rectify your body posture over time. You can regain strength, flexibility, and body balance with time and consistency in your workouts.

The sheer number of exercises can be overwhelming when searching online for the right workouts to correct bad body posture. For your convenience and time, here are three simple exercises that can help you achieve excellent body posture. These straightforward exercises, designed to be easily incorporated into your daily routine, give you the confidence to correct your posture quickly. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment, just a little time and dedication. With these exercises, improving your posture is simpler than you might think, reassuring you that you can do it.

Before you start

• Give yourself a little warm-up
• Lie flat on the ground facing upwards for three to five minutes without the support of a cushion or pillow.
• Relax and let your body get accustomed to its natural position.
• Breathe naturally.
• Do this pre-workout before going into the three significant exercises below.

Here are the three exercises that can work wonders to correct faulty body postures. 

Cat cow pose

This workout aims to stretch your spine, shifting it from a rounded to an arched position, performed while exhaling and inhaling. This stretching helps relieve tension from the torso, shoulders, and neck, and enhances blood circulation. Repeat the workout at least 10 times. (Watch the video with instructions:   https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/multimedia/cat-cow-pose/vid-20453581).

Reverse plank bridge 

This potent workout is the most effective exercise for reinforcing your lower back and correcting your hunched shoulders. It involves mobilizing different muscle groups, including the erector spinae, the mid trapezius, the hip flexors, the hip adductors, the hip abductors, and the lumbar spine. Watch the guided video with instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDGnHn8ppcc. Repeat at least 10 times

High plank

The high plank stance aids in relieving extra tautness of the muscles and alleviates body pain. There is more; this workout fortifies your shoulders and glutes, enhances your body balance, and reinforces your core, i.e., the group of muscles within your midsection that stabilize your spine and pelvis, vital for maintaining good posture. Repeat at least 10 times (with brief breaks). Watch the guided video with instructions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKZfeoVuPbE.

The bottom line is that bad postures are reversible. By incorporating the above three workouts into your daily regimen, you can enjoy your daily life full of energy and vitality. Imagine walking the streets feeling tall, confident, and with greater self-esteem and a better mood—no more body aches and pains to dampen your spirits, promising a bright future.  

Regarding postural correction, some might even recommend using devices that claim to help correct wrong body postures. Such gadgets include shoulder straps, analog braces, and back supports, which work as ‘structural assistive devices’.

However, these devices are shrouded in speculation and differing opinions. For some, discomfort aside, wearing those braces all day long may lead to weakened muscles since you rely entirely on those braces to maintain a good posture, rather than relying on your strength and muscles.

Some health sites claim various posture correctors work differently. Some resemble a wearable harness that gently tugs the muscles into the proper position. In contrast, others are electronic devices that work like a wake-up timer to put you on alert to correct your posture by vibrating or beeping. Some call them electronic gizmos.

“Overall, the evidence is thin.” “Generally, we think of those as gimmicks,” says Scott Beadnell, a physical therapist with Oregon Health and Science University. Some individuals may find the devices help in some way or enjoy using them.

If you are too short on time and cannot spare time for those postural exercises, you may go for the postural corrector devices. Still, before using them, it’s best to consult an accredited physiotherapist, chiropractor, or orthopedic, who can serve as your best guide. For your convenience, I’ve cited a website that can help you select the best fit. Here you go: https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-posture-correctors-4171981.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the above text are solely research-based, not medical advice; the author solicits reader discretion and cross-references or consulting a healthcare practitioner, an authorized physiotherapist, or an orthopedic doctor for further consultation. 

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It has been nearly six decades since the UN General Assembly adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights popularly known as ICCPR. Article 19 of ICCPR states: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

In Nepal’s case, the 1990 constitution, for the first time, recognized citizens’ right to demand information held by public agencies on matters of public importance. Actually, Nepal was ahead of other South Asian countries when it came to providing constitutional guarantee to Right to Information. Now, other South Asian countries are making a huge progress on RTI but Nepal is lagging behind. In Nepal, progressive constitutional provision remained largely unimplemented in the absence of a supportive law. Successive governments after 1990 did not pay any attention to formulate such legislation due to a lack of awareness about its importance for the effective functioning of the democracy.

The 2015 constitution further strengthened this right, stating that every citizen shall have the right to demand and receive information on any matter of personal and public interest, with exception of information legally designated as confidential. To support these constitutional guarantees, the Right to Information Act was enacted on 21 July 21 followed by the National Information Commission in 2009. Nepal now has both legal and institutional frameworks to protect people’s right to information. Yet, in practice, progress has been limited.

Government and non-governmental agencies, particularly the National Information Commission, have been active in raising awareness about the importance of RTI for democracy. Numerous training and seminars have been conducted, mainly targeting government officials. While these efforts have raised some awareness, they are often repetitive and ineffective. Nonetheless, journalists and activists have increasingly used RTI as a tool to expose corruption, which is a positive development.

The tendency to seek information from government bodies has grown, but it remains largely confined to activists and has yet to spread widely among ordinary citizens. Serious challenges continue to hinder effective implementation of the law. The most fundamental issue is the persistent failure to instill in political leaders and government officials that people have a right, not a privilege, to access information of public importance.  Political leaders rarely encourage transparency; instead, they often side with bureaucrats in suppressing information. In many cases, leaders have even instructed agencies to withhold information rather than disclose it.

There still is a mindset among the politicians and bureaucracy that granting or denying access to information is at their discretion. In reality, the law has clearly stated what type of information may be withheld. This includes information that jeopardizes sovereignty, integrity, national security, public peace and stability, or that interferes with criminal investigation, inquiry and prosecution, or sensitive economic, trade and monetary matters. Beyond these exceptions, government agencies are obligated to provide information without restrictions. Instead of adhering to the law, many government agencies impose unnecessary conditions with the deliberate intent of suppressing information. Politicians and officials alike fear that if full disclosure were made, their corruption and irregularities would be exposed.

As per the law, every public office should appoint an information officer. While such officers do exist in government offices, they are rarely empowered. Most lack access to the information they are meant to provide, leaving people empty-handed when they make requests. On paper, government agencies appear to comply with proactive disclosure requirements by publishing reports every three months. In reality, these documents do not reveal anything about actual activities. They are often little more than recycled introductions and lists of duties and responsibilities; reprinted again and again to create the illusion of transparency.

The National Information Commission cannot remain satisfied with this surface-level compliance. Its focus must go beyond repetitive training seasons for government officials. Instead, it should actively monitor the information that government agencies are making public and investigate misleading practices and demand that agencies change their current approach to proactive disclosure. The priority in earlier years was to ensure that agencies appointed information officers and began publishing regular reports. That phase has passed. Now, the challenge is to push for meaningful disclosure of substantive information. The government offices should stop reprinting empty profiles again and again, taking both the public and the Commission for granted.

Another vital component is that people are not aware about the importance of their rights and responsibilities of the government agencies. While publicity campaigns have informed people that an RTI law exists, very few people understand its details and how to use it effectively. Knowledge remains confined to a small circle of political leaders, activists and professionals working in the field. Even students do not have comprehensive knowledge about RTI even though RTI has been incorporated in the school and university curricula. Students know about the RTI only from a narrow examination perspective, with little understanding of its practical application.

The National Information Commission, which is tasked with ensuring implementation of this law, should change its working style. Going beyond its routine seminar and lectures, it should identify bottlenecks and directly confront agencies that are misleading the public by publishing background information while concealing what truly matters. As a journalist, I often visit the websites of government agencies to read their proactive disclosure documents to find new information about works accomplished by them. But they always disappoint me. The format provided by the National Information Commission for the proactive disclosure, which is focused on background and general information rather than the substantive information, itself is problematic. Similarly, it should explain why government agencies are not empowering the information officers to provide the information. Similarly, it should find out why two decades of awareness campaigns have failed to build genuine public understanding. It should study new ways to disseminate the information in the ever-changing information ecosystem.

In conclusion, politicians and government agencies have yet to internalize that the right to information is a cornerstone of democracy. Now, we have to move on to phase two of the implementation of RTI—one that ensures not just the existence of laws and institutions but their effective use as well. Most importantly, people must be able to seek information without fear.

At present, many hesitate to approach officials for information, worried that they might be targeted if they do so. With corruption at unprecedented levels, especially at the local level where political leaders and bureaucrats are often complicit, the culture of opacity still persists. Breaking this cycle will require stronger enforcement, fearless oversight and a genuine political commitment.