Urvashi Aneja

Response to NITI Aayog's Latest FRT Framework

Response to NITI Aayog's Latest FRT Framework Section 1 - Report specific responses Aman Nair, Dona Mathew and Urvashi Aneja submit that the report fails to adequately address the harms associated with Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) and the…

Disability & Access to Public Digital Health Services

How do we bridge the gaps that exist between disability rights organisations, policy organisations and #govtech, to ensure inclusive & accessible health tech for all? If not an actual answer, our latest Tech and Society Dialogues session offered some…

National Implementation of AI: A Crash Course and Ideathon for Policy-Makers in Telangana

2020 saw the Indian state of Telengana attempt to position itself as a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption for commerce and research when it published a national level, actionable policy framework for AI implementation. With aims to…

Personal Data, Rentier Innovation, and the Global South

‍ The history of current AI and Machine Learning developments was explored to highlight how data practice and governance can avoid exacerbating inequalities in the Global South. By looking at how the interests of the advertising industry have shaped…

Locating Responsibility in Socio-Technical Systems

Locating Responsibility in Socio-Technical Systems In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal many tech companies stepped forward to make amends for past wrongdoings. Recent discussions on responsible tech can be considered in the same register…

Covid-19 Tech Tools for Public Health

As public health infrastructures struggled to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world turned to technological tools. A market for such tools also emerged, as the private sector identified a new business opportunity. The urgency…

What is Big Tech?

In this CCG essay series on The Future of Democracy in the Shadow of Big and Emerging Tech chapter, we argue that Big Tech is a concept, rather than a fixed set of companies. As a concept, Big Tech has four core conceptual markers: Data-centric…

AI Governance in 2020: Observations of 52 Global Experts

Many countries around the world, including India, are developing risk-based frameworks for the governance of AI. Risk based frameworks are perhaps appropriate to fuel innovation. But they are inappropriate for developing countries like India, where…

Enforcement Mechanisms for Responsible #AI for All

In this response, we highlight that risk-based approaches are not neutral policy instruments. Instead, they should be seen as a complex set of choices regarding which risks will be prioritised, and the degree of risks that will be tolerated. These…

Body Temperature and Key Strokes: Covid-19 and changing systems of worker monitoring in India. Early Insights from a Live-tracker

This paper examines the challenges and risks related to the use of digital technologies to test and monitor worker health and productivity in India. The outbreak of Covid-19 has inextricably linked work and health. Looking for ways to normalise…

Swaddle Podcast : How Big Tech Has Changed the Way Indians Think

Dr. Urvashi Aneja, founding director at Tandem Research, is in conversation with Shrishti Malhotra, producer at The Swaddle, on how Big Tech shapes public discourse in India, the power asymmetry between Big Tech creators and consumers, and why AI…

Rethinking AI Governance: Power, Ethics and Community ( in Spanish ; English version coming soon)

La evidencia creciente de los múltiples riesgos y perjuicios que comportan los sistemas de toma de decisiones mediante algoritmos han urgido la cuestión de la gobernanza de la Inteligencia Artificial (IA). Los gobiernos, la industria y los organismos…

Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and risks for development

The session 'Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and risks for development' was organized in partnership with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), at the 2021 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development 'Promoting Peace in…

Co-designing Digital Interventions and Technology Projects with Civil Society

Co-authored by Dr. Mark Latonero and Dr. Urvashi Aneja, this paper explores the concept of co-design in partnership with civil society, beginning with COVID-19 technology interventions. It focuses on the role played by civil society in developing…

Coronavirus: How can society thrive post-pandemic?

As society looks to rebound from Covid-19, the ideas and resources we need to cope and succeed will look different than before. We don’t yet know the answer – and, in some respects, we don’t even know the right questions to ask. That’s why we’ve been…

The Impact Of New Technology On Democracy | Trust Conference 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to rely on technology like never before. But how is this impacting societies around the world and our democracy? Watch this panel discussion from Trust Conference 2020 with guest speakers: •Alice Munyua,…

AI on the ground: A snapshot of AI use in India

This report presents an exhaustive study on the current uses of AI in India, reviewing 70+ use cases across 9 key sectors, including policing, agriculture, health, and education.

Can excel sheets have ethics? AI in the Global South’ at #Rightscon 2020

On 29 July, Tandem Research with Chatham House UK, co-hosted the session ‘Can excel sheets have ethics? AI in the Global South’ at #Rightscon2020. The panellists for the session were: Malavika Jayaram, Berkman Klein Centre; De Kai, University of Hong…

How to check Facebook's influence on Indian democracy

By Urvashi Aneja, Tandem Research The Wall Street Journal’s recent report claiming Facebook’s top public policy executive in India opposed applying the platform’s community guidelines to inflammatory posts by certain BJP leaders has set off a…

ISAS podcast: The Big Tech Affair in India

India has witnessed huge developments in the technology space in the recent past. First, it welcomed investments from American tech companies and now is witnessing collaborations between US and Indian firms such as Facebook and Reliance Jio. However,…