Digital Futures Lab

The quality of data drives the quality of AI systems and without truly representative data, we cannot expect to create AI systems that work across contexts and serve everyone. Watch our Founder-Director, Urvashi Aneja speak at #TheSydneyDialogue, on how for the Global South, where most countries are at a stage of digitalisation, the core question and opportunity lies at asking how we can do responsible digitalisation and build data-sets that are purposefully representative and inclusive of marginalised identities first. Urvashi was a panelist on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s panel on AI readiness for governments, industries and societies in the Indo-Pacific, along with Japan AI Safety Institute’s Akiko Murakami and Nuix’s Jonathan Rubinsztein. Moderated by Kate Seward from Microsoft Innovation Centres Australia, the panel focused on gaps in existing regulatory frameworks and concentration of power. #AI #GenAI #ResponsibleDigitalisation #ResponsibleData

We're thrilled to announce that our Founder-Director, Urvashi Aneja, has joined the Inclusive AI Group as a consortium member! The Inclusive AI Group is a global powerhouse bringing together design experts, AI ethicists, policymakers, and anthropologists to co-create responsible AI for a better future. Here's why this is significant: AI is often trained on data skewed towards WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies. This lack of diversity, especially from the Global South (where 90% of the world's youth reside!), leads to biased and inequitable AI systems. The Inclusive AI Group is tackling this head-on by promoting people-planet-centred design for AI-based solutions. Urvashi, along with other leading voices, will be shaping the future of AI - ensuring it's not just cutting-edge, but also ethical and sustainable. Join us in supporting this critical initiative! Learn more here: [link to Inclusive AI Group website](https://lnkd.in/daReu3ab) #InclusiveAI #AIethics #SocialJustice #Sustainability #DesignThinking

While the advancement of digital technologies has created new opportunities for innovation and empowerment, it has also amplified existing inequities and introduced new types of gendered harms. Basic issues such as access and safety for women and girls continue to persist, along with newer digital gender-based violence and harms. Advancing the digital rights of women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities, and building gender-equitable societies therefore, require a collaborative and coordinated effort across policy, research, and grassroots organisations. To deliberate on pathways towards gender-equitable digital futures, Digital Futures Lab and Point of View recently hosted an unconference, Feminist Futures Now, that brought together activists, organisations, and experts working with women and girls, queer and trans communities, sex workers, persons with disabilities, and in the tech, digital rights and policy space. Together, we're working towards a more inclusive and equitable digital future. Join us in the conversation, and share your thoughts on how we can bridge the digital divide and address gendered harms. Chambal Media Sadbhavana Trust CREA Rangeen Khidki Foundation One Future Collective Centre for Internet and Society Feminist Approach to Technology (FAT) Sappho for Equality Rising Flame Tattle Civic Technologies National Network of Sex Workers, India Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti, Ajmer American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Harshita Verma Hameeda Khatoon Athira Purushothaman Sanjina Gupta Amrita Sengupta (she/her) Gayatri Buragohain Koyel Ghosh Kaustubha K. Chinar Mehta Manjima Bhattacharjya Anushka Jain Urvashi Aneja Shreeja S. #digitalrights #genderequity #feministfutures #techpolicy #inclusion #FeministFuturesNow #DigitalFuturesLab #unconference

Is AI a silver bullet for climate change? Or can we explore possibilities of using AI and other climate technologies to truly mitigate the climate crisis, within diverse Asian contexts? Find answers to these and more questions in the inaugural issue of our new newsletter, Code Green! Learn more about existing research, challenges and the many contexts of AI and climate action in Asia. Sign up today: https://lnkd.in/dby-Gjv7 Code Green is a monthly newsletter published by Digital Futures Lab in partnership with Earth Venture Capital Foundation initiatives. Tracing the interconnectedness of society and technology, Code Green separates the heat from the hype around climate tech and focuses on how AI innovation trajectories can align with just and equitable climate transitions in Asia. See more: codegreen.asia Tien Nguyen Urvashi Aneja Climate Change AI Pyrou C. Aaditeshwar Seth Elina Noor Alpan Raval Varad Pande (वरद पाण्डे) Dona Mathew Tammanna Aurora Meredith Stinger Quicksand Design Studio Shivranjana Rathore Nayantara Surendranath earthwhile Ishan Loya #AI #ClimateTech #CodeGreen #AsiaClimateFutures #aiandclimateaction #AIClimateFutures #ClimateAction #climatechange #ArtificialIntelligence #AIandClimateFuturesInAsia

AI for a greener Asia: Is the future here? The climate crisis in Asia is a pressing concern. AI offers promising solutions, but challenges remain. Tune into the inaugural episode of the Code Green podcast where we speak to leading experts - Elina Noor, Alpan Raval and Varad Pande (वरद पाण्डे) - about the intersection of AI and climate action in Asia from a policy, technology and finance lens. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/ds65qkQH Code Green is a podcast and newsletter series that deep dives into the intersection of AI and climate-tech in Asia; and is brought to you by ⁠Digital Futures Lab⁠, in partnership with Earth Venture Capital Foundation⁠ initiatives. Learn more at codegreen.asia Tien Nguyen Urvashi Aneja Dona Mathew Aaditeshwar Seth ChengHe Guan Gaurav Sharma (गौरव शर्मा) Md. Golam Rabbani Neth Daño Pyrou C. Veerappan Swaminathan CV Madhukar Tammanna Aurora Meredith Stinger Quicksand Design Studio Jayant Sriram Shivranjana Rathore Nayantara Surendranath earthwhile Ishan Loya #AI #ClimateTech #Asia #Podcast #CodeGreen #AsiaClimateFutures #aiandclimateaction #AIClimateFutures #ClimateAction #climatechange #ArtificialIntelligence #AIandClimateFuturesInAsia #DigitalFuturesLab #Asia

📢 Introducing Code Green: A New Podcast and Newsletter Series brought to you by Digital Futures Lab and Earth Venture Capital Foundation! We know, we know, “another thing to subscribe to!” But, we promise that you wouldn't want to miss it! Asia faces some of the most pressing climate challenges globally. Innovative digital technologies, including AI, are expected to play a pivotal role in rapidly scaling solutions to address these challenges. However, as we discovered in our recent project, (with support from The Rockefeller Foundation) AI + Climate Futures in Asia, there often exists a disconnect in solutions, that eventually do not end up fully meeting community needs, struggle to build trust and fail to gain traction. This often happens because the research and development needed for climate solutions tends to occur in silos, with minimal collaboration among stakeholders. Building on this research, Code Green is that imminent step to break out of these silos. Through a series of newsletters and podcasts launching this week, Code Green will simplify complex climate-tech narratives, focusing on the human element behind these technologies. Code Green will challenge standard narratives around climate-tech, cut through the hype and bring you the most relevant research and critically examine the processes that enable or challenge the adoption of these technologies. 🔗 Sign up now https://lnkd.in/dby-Gjv7 Join us on this journey as we launch this week! Tien Nguyen Urvashi Aneja Dona Mathew Aaditeshwar Seth ChengHe Guan Elina Noor Gaurav Sharma (गौरव शर्मा) Md. Golam Rabbani Neth Daño Pyrou C. Veerappan Swaminathan Gram Vaani Sustainable Living Lab (SL2) ETC Group - Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration Varad Pande (वरद पाण्डे) Alpan Raval CV Madhukar Deepali Khanna Shivranjana Rathore #CodeGreen #EarthVCFoundation #DigitalFuturesLab #AsiaClimateFutures #aiandclimateaction #AIClimateFutures #ClimateAction #climatechange #ArtificialIntelligence #AIandClimateFuturesInAsia #ClimateData #AI #Asia

While the country is looking to leverage AI to create impact across domains, can AI-based tools benefit students without access to financial support, in pursuing higher education, without risking their data safety? How can responsible AI practices enable organisations developing LLMs in ensuring students' data safety, improved access to quality education, and open source sharing of tools? Watch fellow organisation Avanti Fellows' Suryateja Bulusu bring these questions, as he speaks of their journey with AI tools and their hopes from the Responsible AI Lab Fellowship. Learn more about India's first responsible AI Fellowship here - https://lnkd.in/deHNfwbr Digital Green Myna Mahila Foundation QUEST Alliance ARTPARK Haqdarshak Digital Empowerment Foundation ARMMAN Point of View Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune Agami (OpenNyAI) SNEHA Mumbai UNICEF Innovation Video Volunteers Urvashi Aneja Shreeja S. Sasha John Anushka Jain #ResponsibleAI #SocialImpact #AIEthics #TechForGood #ResponsibleAILab #DigitalFuturesLab

🌟 Meet the Responsible AI Lab Fellows! 🌟 Thrilled to introduce the final three Fellow organisations of Digital Futures Lab's Responsible AI Lab Fellowship inaugural cohort, and the people representing them! Today, meet Digital Empowerment Foundation's Suruchi Kumari, SNEHA Mumbai's Sweety Pathak and Digital Green's SaiPrasad Chirivirala. Stay tuned to meet the experts guiding and mentoring our cohort in the coming days! Learn more about the Fellowship here: https://lnkd.in/deHNfwbr ARMMAN Agami (OpenNyAI) Myna Mahila Foundation UNICEF Innovation Haqdarshak ARTPARK Point of View Avanti Fellows Video Volunteers QUEST Alliance Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, ILS, Pune Urvashi Aneja Sasha John Anushka Jain Shreeja S. #ResponsibleAI #ResponsibleAIFellowship #DigitalFuturesLab #GenAI #AI #AIinSocialImpact #AIIntegration #AIandWork #ImpactFutures #impactcommunity #AIforSocialGood #techforsocialchange #techforgood #nonprofittech

As the use of AI to support development objectives is likely to expand in India, with investments growing toward building enabling conditions for AI development, and supporting pilot projects, we think it's important to not only see the opportunities, but also be cognisant of associated harms and risks, particularly for already marginalised or vulnerable communities. Toward that end, we'd encourage you to read this TechCrunch profile of our Founder and Director, Urvashi Aneja where she stresses on the need to focus on the broader, structural impact of Al innovation, for women in Al to study widely across disciplines to recognise Al as a product of history and culture, and for all of us to think about the concentration of power in tech more urgently. 🔗 Read the full feature here: https://lnkd.in/eHsdKZxN #WomenInAI #TechEthics #Leadership #AIInnovation

Leveraging the potential of digital technologies and innovation can support cities increasingly confronted by the growing environmental, social,  and economic impacts of climate change. How can frameworks be designed however, to ensure that they keep people at the centre of needs and aspirations? Join our Founder and Director, Urvashi Aneja on August 28th at 2 PM Bangkok Time (GMT+7) for the upcoming webinar, "New approaches to smart city strategy, digital transformation and AI for climate planning and action." Moderated by Pankaj Shrivastav, Urvashi will be joined by jack wang xin, where they will share insights on how digital technologies can drive sustainable urban development while taking into account risks of these technologies towards climate-sensitive planning and action. Register now: https://lnkd.in/dvifn8pH #UrbanAct #SmartCities #ClimateAction #DigitalTransformation #AI #SustainableCities