Digital Futures Lab/Issue #16: Checking (in on) AI - Al Jazeera Interview, India Today Op-ed & 2 Job Openings!
2 months into the year and Digital Futures Lab is excited to say we have quite a bit to show for it! šš»
An interview with Al Jazeeraās Studio B, forming part of the UN Safe DPI Committee, and a Responsible AI lab in the works - weāre setting things up for the rest of the year.
Read all about what weāve been up to, what we have coming up, and for the new roles weāre hiring for! šš½
media āš½
Late last year, Digital Futures Labās founder and director, Urvashi Aneja, was interviewed by Nobel Laureate and journalist, Maria Ressa, for Al Jazeeraās āStudio B: Unscriptedā series on Artificial Intelligence. They tackle crucial key topics, including data colonialism, information warfare, exploitative, invisibilised labour, the need for greater public and civic education and the options we still have to determine how the future of AI, and of the planet, plays out.
Watch the full interview!
For an op-ed published by The New Indian Express, Urvashi and Research Associate, Sasha John, argue that thereās no easy solve for bias in AI - and that must be a crucial factor that influences AI development and innovation.
Research Associate, Anushka Jain, was quoted in an Al Jazeera op-ed on the impact of deepfakes in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
Indian laws currently do not define ādeepfakesā clearly, said Anushka Jain, a policy researcher at Goa-based Digital Futures Lab. The police have been using laws against defamation, fake news or violation of a personās modesty, combined with the Information Technology Act, to try and tackle individual cases. But often, theyāre playing whack-a-mole.
āThe police are prosecuting on the effect of the deepfake and not because it is a deepfake itself,ā she said.
Urvashi also wrote an op-ed for India Today on the checks and balances necessary for this age of AI. She details that public interest and benefit should be at the centre of AI development and innovation, and offers some direction on what this looks like.
Research Associate, Shashidhar KJ, was quoted in The Business Times, in an article on how foreign Electric Vehicle manufacturing companies are setting up manufacturing facilities in India.
āForeign companies who want to crack the market in India will have to figure out domestic manufacturing,ā said Shashidhar Kagganti Jayakumar, a research associate at India-based research network Digital Futures Lab.
Investors will need to āunderstand the context of how things work in Indiaā, he added, noting that there needs to be good after-sales services for EVs that suit Indiaās hot weather.
policy āļø
Urvashi was appointed to the Telangana Responsible AI Committee, to help develop and review guidelines and frameworks for the ethical and safe use of AI in the public sector.
Urvashi was also appointed toĀ the UN working group on āSafe DPIā - established by the UNSGās Envoy on Technology - to co-chair the working group on principles. The DPI Safeguards initiative is a multi-stakeholder process bringing together diverse voices to develop a safeguards framework to guide digital public infrastructure design and implementation around the world.
research š
Urvashi contributed to āChallenging systematic prejudices: an investigation into bias against women and girls in large language modelsā - a UNESCO report on gender bias and Generative AI. The research uncovers persistent social biases within these state-of-the-art language models and underscores the critical need for continuous research and policy intervention to address them, as these technologies are integrated across diverse societal and cultural landscapes.
partnerships š¤
DFL is collaborating with the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at IIT Madras to undertake joint research on Responsible AI in India. CeRAI is an interdisciplinary research centre focused on fundamental and applied research in Responsible AI.
DFL joined the Judicial Data Collaborative (JDC), a community initiative by Daksh, this February. The JDC brings together legal practitioners, research organisations and technical experts working with judicial data. Its primary objective is to create a shared vocabulary and common standards to improve the accessibility and usability of these datasets for a diverse range of stakeholders.
events š¤
DFL hosted its first-ever, in-person event at our studio space in North Goa! Professionals from the fields of climate and environment research, research and social impact, art and design, civil society and civic advocacy and entrepreneurs graced the event, participating in an evening of intentional networking, building coalitions and exchanging ideas on people-driven tech futures.Ā
If youād like to be part of the next one or have an idea of what we could do next, reach out to us!
Urvashi, along with GIZās Philipp Olbrich, was invited to speak at a workshop on āTechnology in Public Procurementā at the Global Procurement Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund organised by The World Bank in New Delhi. The presentation was based on our ongoing work to develop procurement guidelines for the state of Telangana.
what weāre reading š
Anushka
š āWhen Love and the Algorithm Donāt Mixā by TIME
Sasha
š āWho are the publics engaging in AI?ā by RenĆ©e Sieber, Ana Brandusescu, Abigail Adu-Daako and Suthee Sangiambut
Dona
š Private tech, humanitarian problems: how to ensure digital transformation does no harm by AccessNow
coming up ā
DFL is starting a capacity-strengthening program on Responsible AI, catered to social impact organisations. We shall begin recruitment of our first cohort in March.
If you are interested in joining this cohort and/or collaborating with us in some way, please reach out to Research Associate, Aman Nair at aman@digitalfutureslab.in
DFL is hosting a closed-door roundtable discussion among select civil society organisations from the Majority World to deliberate on the UN Secretary Generalās AI advisory board report on āGoverning AI for Humanity.ā The roundtable will discuss the report and identify gaps, risks, and areas needing greater emphasis from a Majority World perspective.Ā
hiring š¼
DFL is looking for a full-time Research Manager and part-time Communications Intern. Check out our Careers page!
Research Manager
If you have strong research skills, a track record of managing projects, and a passionate interest in the ethics and governance of digital technologies, consider applying for our full-time Research Manager role. Email your CV to hello@digitalfutureslab.in with āResearch Manager Roleā in the subject line!
Communications Intern
If you have an interest in social media asset design, website management and organisational communications and 10 hours to spare for the next 3 months, email your CV and portfolio to our Public Engagement Manager, Sasha, at sasha@digitalfutureslab.in with āCommunications Internā in the subject line!
Goa-based candidates are preferred for both roles, but we are flexible.
Have an idea for creative collaboration, a future Tech and Society Dialogues event or a research partnership? Reach out to our Public Engagement Manager, Sasha John, at sasha@digitalfutureslab.in or @SashaEmJay on Twitter.
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