Historians Highlight Challenges in Preserving History Amidst Technological Advancements

Kathmandu. Historian Rajkumar Pokharel has stated that challenges in preserving history and collecting historical materials have increased due to the growing use of technology and AI.

Speaking at a meeting of the Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee of the National Assembly on Monday, he expressed this view.

He stated that legal reforms are necessary to minimize the impact of unverified historical materials disseminated through digital media. He mentioned that the practice of keeping historical documents of importance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nepali Army, and the Nepal Police secret for a long time hinders the study of diplomatic and security history. He emphasized the need to arrange for the handover of diplomatic and security-related history to the National Archives or history preservation bodies after a certain period. He expressed concern that even records related to the Panchayat system, which ended four decades ago, are not readily available for study.

'The activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are making the writing of history on the subject of diplomatic relations complex,' Pokharel said, 'Some of our research materials are with the army and police. Those things may not be made public for 10 years, but after that, they should be given.' He stated that abroad, although documents are kept for a certain period due to confidentiality, they are made public thereafter. He argued that after a certain period, these documents should be handed over to government bodies that collect historical materials and should not be kept locked away.

Expressing concern about the growing use of digital media and technology, he said, 'How do we secure and collect YouTube to understand source materials? Not all materials on YouTube become history, and not all sources are true.' He added, 'In the age of AI, it is difficult to distinguish between right and wrong,' as sources are internally and externally tested to understand history.

He stated that the government should focus on enacting and implementing laws to prevent unverified historical interpretations, as the risk of historical facts being destroyed has increased due to the lack of a clear policy for preserving records and history.