AI is no longer confined to laboratories or consumer applications; it is steadily being woven into the core of India’s governance, economy, and society. From defence and dual-use technologies that redefine security to healthcare systems driven by algorithmic diagnostics and predictive analytics, to the use of AI in welfare delivery and governance systems, its integration is expanding rapidly.

As current AI systems are built on narrow linguistic, cultural, and social contexts that enter critical sectors, India must prevent these embedded biases from amplifying structural inequalities. Further, the rise of AI-driven misinformation and disinformation on social media risks undermining public trust and weakening democratic discourse. As this adoption deepens, India faces a crucial policy inflexion point - designing safeguards that evolve as rapidly as AI itself, especially given its dependence on these external AI models.

• With increased AI integration using foreign models, how can India effectively address the second-order effects - social, ethical, and economic before they become systemic risks?
• How can India safeguard democratic trust and free expression while countering misinformation and disinformation at scale?
• Are India’s current policies and laws well-positioned to address emerging risks such as generative AI, biometric misuse, and AI biases?
• What changes are needed to ensure effective due diligence and accountability both in the public and private sectors?

Moderator

Tanya Gupta, Policy Associate, Digital India Foundation, Uttar Pradesh

Speakers

Sanjeev Chowdhry, Director (Editorial), United Service Institution of India, New Delhi

Tanveer Hasan, Executive Director, Centre for Internet and Society, Karnataka

Jyotsna Mehra, Founder, Closed-door Policy Consulting, New Delhi

Aditya Ramanathan, Research Fellow, Takshashila Institution, Karnataka

Pranshu Samdarshi, Assistant Professor, Nalanda University, Bihar