Rather than relying only on Western compliance checklists, AI development can be anchored in Atma-Bodha (self-awareness), training engineers to recognise how their algorithms alter human consciousness and social behaviour.
Biological systems behave very differently in orbit. Space research could lead to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, Alzheimer's therapies, protein crystallisation and even advanced prosthetics such as artificial retinas.
India therefore needs a serious conversation on algorithmic accountability. If AI increasingly informs policing, citizens deserve clarity on its legal basis, safeguards against misuse, limits on data retention, independent oversight and effective judicial remedies.
AI is already reshaping how gemstones get sold globally: visual search tools that let a buyer photograph a stone and find similar ones, AI chatbots that can answer basic buyer questions in multiple languages at 3 a.m. Colombo time, and generative tools that help small exporters produce professional product photography and listings
South Asia’s future depends on reliable infrastructure and trustworthy public services. Artificial intelligence—especially advanced technologies such as Graph Attention Networks—offers governments a powerful tool to reduce corruption in procurement, improve healthcare delivery, strengthen energy security and enhance public trust.
The battlefield is no longer defined by geography alone. It extends into space, into networks, into supply chains, and into the human mind. Conflict today is as much about disruption as it is about destruction; as much about perception as it is about position. Lines are blurred, between soldier and system, between civilian and combatant, between war and peace.
Together, the team conducts collaborative research and policy development initiatives across four South Asian countries - Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Their work aims to strengthen national preparedness, improve crisis response systems, and support governments in building resilient, technology-enabled public safety infrastructure. Together, these researchers represent a growing national capability in applying Artificial Intelligence to real-world challenges.
Recent evidence also suggests that AI chatbots are being used by teens to plan violence and other harmful activities. Like all technologies, AI is a double-edged sword. It can either be used for very creative work or destructive activities. Thus, there is a tremendous responsibility for teachers to teach the children and youngsters about the positive aspects of AI.
Humans have always pretended we can resist new inventions, from the printing press to electricity to computers, only to discover that the world shifts regardless. AI is different only in degree, not in pattern. It moves faster than our debates, scales faster than our regulations, and integrates faster than our instincts. The question is no longer whether AI will matter. It is whether we will matter in deciding how it is used.
Only by asserting ownership over data and algorithms can the South escape serving as the North’s digital underclass. The path forward demands digital decolonization—a reimagining of technology not as an instrument of extraction, but as a platform for justice, inclusion, and shared prosperity. The struggle for sovereignty has moved from the soil to the server.
The IMF’s refusal to revive the $6 billion bailout package over the government’s initial refusal to implement austerity measures made things worse for the government. In recent weeks, the Sharif government has reduced fuel subsidies drastically and increased electricity tariffs.
In South Asia as a whole, the report said, “The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine has weighed on growth in the South Asia region (SAR) after a solid recovery in the second half of last year and amplified pre-existing vulnerabilities”
Significantly, the country’s IT exports are rising and has already crossed over $2 billion in the first eight months of the current financial year. In 2021, the Overseas Investor Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) said in its report that the country had the potential of $10 billion in annual IT exports.
From Thursday this week, Nepal started selling electricity, around 37 MW to Indian buyers, Nepal Electricity Corporation spokesperson Suresh Bhattarai confirmed to The Kathmandu Post. More bids are invited to sell 200 MW in India’s power exchange market on a long-term basis.
Officials of both Nepal and Sri Lanka are already in talks with Indian officials about procuring fertilizers on an immediate basis. Nepal’s Agriculture Minister Mahendra Rai Yadav this week held talks with his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Tomar to import 60000 tons of urea and 20000 tons of DAP.
The country’s foreign exchange reserves are declining and just enough to cover imports for two months. Last week, authorities announced a ban on over two dozen luxury and other items to save foreign exchange reserves.
At a time when foreign exchange reserves are draining due to rising import bills, the country is due to pay major loans in 2023 and 2024. Going forward, if the recovery of the tourism industry gets impacted by the ongoing crisis, it will further limit the Maldives' government’s ability to fulfill its external debt obligations.
With the economic crisis and the shortage of forex, the Indian credit line of USD 500 million for fuel imports has provided a lifeline to the island nation, which is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for months.
“As the economy recovers [from the Covid-19 pandemic], our assistance will increase access to economic opportunities by promoting employment in critical sectors such as tourism and renewable energy. It will also enhance social service delivery in the islands,” Faris H Hadad-Zervos, the World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka was quoted as saying by The Times of Addu.
