Digital Futures Lab

is an independent, interdisciplinary research studio that studies the complex interplay between technology and society in India and the Majority World.

Through evidence-based research, systematic foresight, and public engagement, we work to realise pathways toward equitable, safe and sustainable digital futures.

Subscribe

Follow our work and receive the latest updates via the DFL newsletter.

Featured
Responsible AI Fellowship
Project
/
Mar 2024

Responsible AI Fellowship

As India’s first capacity-strengthening programme on Responsible AI, the Fellowship supports India’s leading social impact organisations to develop knowledge frameworks, tools & capacities for responsible AI, through 1:1 mentoring, peer exchange, & expert lectures.
The AI Series: AI and the Global South | Al Jazeera’s Studio B: Unscripted
Media
/
Feb 2024

The AI Series: AI and the Global South | Al Jazeera’s Studio B: Unscripted

Watch Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and Digital Futures Lab's Founder, Urvashi Aneja, explore AI's impact in the Global South and why countries need to move beyond “catching up with the North”.
From Code to Consequence: Interrogating Gender Biases in LLMs within the Indian Context
Project
/
Aug 2023

From Code to Consequence: Interrogating Gender Biases in LLMs within the Indian Context

LLMs in India can drive access to crucial information & services, but come with risks including bias & informational harms. This study explored gender bias across the LLM lifecycle & developed bias mitigation strategies for developers & policymakers.
Banner illustration
Event
/
Apr 2025

Launch Event: Practice Playbook for Responsible AI

Developed over months of grounded research, learning and insights from our Responsible AI Fellowship, the Playbook offers guidance to organisations navigating the tricky but urgent questions around AI in social impact work.
Visit Site
Latest
Mapping the Potentials and Limitations of Using Generative AI Technologies to Address Socio-Economic Challenges in LMICs
Report
/
Apr 2025

Mapping the Potentials and Limitations of Using Generative AI Technologies to Address Socio-Economic Challenges in LMICs

Co-authored by Urvashi and Aarushi as part of our project, AI Ethics in the Global South: Capacity-strengthening and Learning, this article explores key insights, real-world use cases, and what it will take to make GenAI work responsibly in LMICs.
Oxford Intersections: AI in Society
Book
/
Mar 2025

Oxford Intersections: AI in Society

Read the newly launched ‘Oxford Intersections on AI in Society’, a collection that brings together global experts exploring themes from AI and decoloniality to African perspectives on AI ethics. It has been co-edited by Urvashi Aneja.
Provocations on AI Sovereignty: Confronting Complexities & Shaping Future Strategies
Report
/
Mar 2025

Provocations on AI Sovereignty: Confronting Complexities & Shaping Future Strategies

Based on reflections from a workshop with 18 of India's leading thinkers, this report explores the meaning of digital sovereignty, assesses its feasibility, examines who benefits from such an agenda, and unpacks the new policy conundrums it raises.
Feminist Futures Now: Feminist Re-imaginations of Digital Rights
Report
/
Dec 2024

Feminist Futures Now: Feminist Re-imaginations of Digital Rights

This report focuses on ways of strengthening linkages between grassroots and policy organisations, for the lived experiences of girls and women to be better reflected in dominant policy imaginaries and interventions.
ENSURED | Towards Sustainable AI for Climate Action
Blog
/
Feb 2025

ENSURED | Towards Sustainable AI for Climate Action

AI may be a game-changer for climate action, but it also comes with hidden environmental and social costs. Urvashi writes for ENSURED experts blog highlighting things policymakers should keep in mind when trying to limit AI’s climate footprint.
Democratising AI needs a radically different approach
Op-ed
/
Nov 2024

Democratising AI needs a radically different approach

Urvashi writes for The Hindu on alternative pathways to democratise Al. Not aiming to compete with or replicate the Big Tech model is essential; it should even look at championing ‘small AI’.