Workshop report | Provocations on AI Sovereignty: Confronting Complexities & Shaping Future Strategies

By Urvashi Aneja, Harleen Kaur, Shreeja Sen and Anushka Jain

Developed from reflections from the workshop, this report explores what digital sovereignty means, assesses its feasibility, examines who benefits from such an agenda, and unpacks the new policy conundrums it raises.

The concept that every country should develop its own AI capabilities is gathering steam globally. Several countries are investing in specialised computational infrastructure and developing national data sovereignty frameworks to ensure their strategic and economic self-reliance.

Yet, the AI sovereignty discourse obscures the substantive political choices that become necessary once the agenda is translated into concrete policy actions.

We need to ask for whom and from whom sovereignty is to be won—does it pit nation-states against one another, or is it about empowering citizens vis-à-vis powerful technology companies?

Equally, is it about boosting a country’s competitiveness in the global AI race or carving out policy space to pursue goals that might lie outside those pursued in the dominant AI paradigm?

With support from Samagata Foundation, in November 2024, we hosted a workshop to explore the debate around AI sovereignty and its implications for India. Along with 18 of the country’s leading thinkers and practitioners, this workshop created a space for first-principles thinking and forward-looking debate through in-depth discussions.

Read the report here.

Publication | Creating a collaborative future between science and society

By Harleen Kaur & Sarah Hyder Iqbal.

Intentionally or unintentionally, science shapes how we live, what we eat, how long we live, as well as who gets left behind.

In India, most science R&D is paid for by the public. But not all of the public gets a say in what science should do, or who it should serve.

That can change.

This blog, co-authored with a passionate scientist working on the social science of science, explores how science in India can become more open, more democratic, and more grounded in people’s everyday realities. Not just for “everyone” in name, but with deliberate efforts to include those most often excluded, such as rural communities, informal workers, women, and young people.

From citizen science to cleaner air, from school classrooms to ethical technologies, we see threads of change. We believe science becomes stronger when more people help shape it. Not just scientists or policymakers, but citizens, workers, students, farmers, each bringing their lived knowledge and questions to the table.

This isn’t just possible. It’s necessary.

Read more here 

Publication | State of Industry R&D in India

 By Harleen Kaur, Vibodh Nautiyal, Ayushee Thukral, Avinash Koli, Yakshith Kiran

What Does Industry-Driven Science Mean for Society?

This report looks closely at how the Indian industry, from pharmaceuticals to software, invests in research and development (R&D), and how it compares with global peers. The findings show that the Indian firms are beginning to grow their R&D efforts and are more transparent than many global counterparts. But on key fronts like patents and PhD talent, the gaps remain.

At first glance, it might seem like a corporate story. But underneath is a much bigger question. What kind of science do we want, and who should shape it?

In India, much of industrial science is funded or enabled by public policy. It carries the promise of jobs, self-reliance, and global standing. But if science is to serve society, then we must ask who it includes, what it prioritises, and how it is held accountable. This report tries to objectively showcase how the industry values its R&D efforts and tries to imagine the role of firms in shaping progress. To move forward, we need a deeper conversation about how industry, government, and the public can work together to make science both excellent and equitable.

Read more here.