Digital Futures Lab

Digital Futures Lab is a multidisciplinary research collective that examines the complex interaction between technology and society in the global south.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

Two weeks since the launch of the Global South Network for Trustworthy AI at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 — and we’re still energised by the response from leaders across government, industry, philanthropy, and civil society.

Why does this network matter? 🧵

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

7/7 Jointly published with the FAIR Forward – Artificial Intelligence for All initiative (implemented by GIZ and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)), @nasscom , & the IndiaAI Mission.

The full report: https://t.co/yYsU0bJdGb

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

What will it take to build a robust open source AI ecosystem in India?

Our new report outlines what the state needs to do. 🧵

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

6/7 The state is one of India's largest tech buyer. Those choices shape the market.

→Prefer open-source AI in procurement, with context-sensitive exceptions where justified.
→Let teams prove fitness through pilots.
→Require transparency baselines for public sector AI.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

5/7 As a standard-setter, the state must define what “open source” actually means in AI:

→ Set minimum openness thresholds for public AI systems
→ Prevent “open-washing” in publicly funded projects
→ Develop India-specific licensing frameworks

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

4/7 As a promoter, the state can expand who participates in AI development by:

→ Prioritising compute access for open source projects
→ Establishing long-term grants for open datasets and tools
→ Extending small enterprise support to open source AI firms

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

3/7 The state isn't one thing. It plays three roles, and each one matters.

→ Promoter
→ Regulator & Standard Setter
→ Procurer & User

Here's what each requires 👇

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

2/7 Open-source AI can democratise tech — lowering barriers, enabling local innovation, and reducing Big Tech dependence. For India, it’s a path to real AI autonomy. But this future isn’t automatic; it depends on deliberate state action.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

Should court judgements be generated by AI?

🔘 Yes, data is more objective than humans
🔘 No, too much is at stake
🔘 Depends on the safeguards

Our report (launching today!) maps frameworks for courts adopting AI — rights, risks and tools.

Replies welcome. 👇

[Centre for Communication Governance at NLU Delhi @CCGNLUD]

#HappeningToday
Our ED @JhalakKakkar will be speaking on the panel today, at the launch of the “AI for Justice: Ethical, Fair and Robust Adoption in India’s Courts” report by DAKSH in collaboration with Digital Futures Lab, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP in India).
@daksh_india @DigiFuturesLab @UNDP_India

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

4/4 We'll be unpacking this live on March 24 with two panellists: Jhalak Kakkar (NLU Delhi) and Justice (Retd.) Rajiv Shakdher.

Registration is mandatory. Seats are limited. 👉 https://t.co/VXbX8PlftX

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

1/4 The Supreme Court of India flagged it earlier this year: AI-generated fake citations in judgments. An "institutional concern" with a direct bearing on judicial integrity.

AI in courts isn't a future scenario. It's the present.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

3/4 Our report names four things most court AI adoption is missing:

- Readiness assessment before deployment
- Rights-based risk identification
- Independent technical evaluation
- Post-deployment monitoring

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

2/4 Here's why our March 24 report launch with DAKSH & UNDP matters. 🧵

Transcription that mishears. Translation that flattens nuance. Summarisation that drops context. In a courtroom, these aren't just errors. They affect real outcomes.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

AI is already in India's courtrooms. The question is whether that adoption is happening responsibly.

With @daksh_india & @UNDP, we're launching a report that offers practical answers.

📅 March 24, 2026 | 📍 New Delhi

Register for the launch 👇🏽 https://t.co/zjEP8rE7lA

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

At Digital Futures Lab, we’re excited to help grow this coalition and contribute to shaping a stronger conversation on AI trustworthiness in the Global South.

More to come. 🌍

Watch the launch event here: https://t.co/BOcdEQQGq1

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

Two weeks since the launch of the Global South Network for Trustworthy AI at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 — and we’re still energised by the response from leaders across government, industry, philanthropy, and civil society.

Why does this network matter? 🧵

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

We were honoured to hear keynote remarks from Mr Abhishek Singh (@GoI_MeitY), Ambassador Philip Thigo (Republic of Kenya), and Mr Quintin Chou-Lambert (@UN), alongside a distinguished panel of experts across philanthropy, civil society, and industry.

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

By unpacking these relationships, the brief highlights the opportunities that open approaches to AI can create for India’s ecosystem, particularly around innovation and participation.

#OpenSourceAI

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

A key contribution of our new policy brief on advancing open source AI in India is the Component–Outcome Matrix to unpack what “openness” in AI actually means.
🔗 https://t.co/YjaiNpiQPH

[Digital Futures Lab @DigiFuturesLab]

Instead of asking simply “Should AI be open?”, the matrix helps frame a more useful question:

Which components should be open — and what outcomes might that enable?