Interpreting India

In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Raymond Ononiwu, founder and CEO of Horus Labs, for a conversation that cuts through the noise around compute, data centres, and AI infrastructure to ask a more fundamental question: who is this all actually being built for? Raymond brings the perspective of someone building AI infrastructure on the ground in Africa, and his account of what the global AI conversation is still getting wrong is both practical and pointed. This episode explores: What is compute, why has it become a strategic resource, and does every country actually need to be training frontier models? What does AI infrastructure really require on the ground, and why is building it in the Global South a fundamentally different challenge from building it in Shenzhen? If you are a country in sub-Saharan Africa trying to build an AI strategy, what should you invest in and what should you ignore entirely? Are the global conversations happening around AI, including at the India AI Impact Summit, actually reflecting what builders on the ground need?

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Charukeshi Bhatt is joined by Shimona Mohan, associate researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Together, they unpack the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the military domain, with a special focus on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). The discussion traces how AI’s dual-use nature complicates governance, highlights the risks of bias and miscalculation, and explores why progress in international negotiations has been slow despite nearly a decade of debate.

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Shruti Mittal is joined by Kailash Nadh, chief technology officer of Zerodha and co-founder of FOSS United, to provide a technologist’s perspective on one of the most consequential debates shaping the future of artificial intelligence: the open versus closed source AI debate. Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving AI landscape, this conversation examines risks, rewards, and the strategic implications of open-source AI for India.

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Saheb Singh Chadha is joined by Suyash Desai, nonresident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, to explore the transformation and challenges facing China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Over the past decade, the PLA has seen rapid changes under Xi Jinping, from sweeping structural reforms to new mobilization and training strategies. But how ready is it really for a conflict over Taiwan? And what do these changes mean for India? This is the second episode in our special three-part Interpreting China series, based on Views From Taipei, a collection of essays by young Indian scholars on China. Suyash’s essay, The People’s Liberation Army in the 2020s: Buoyed by Reforms, Limited by Roadblocks, serves as the foundation for this wide-ranging conversation.

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Tejas Bharadwaj speaks with Victoria Samson, chief director for space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, about emerging challenges and opportunities in space security. As countries ramp up efforts to protect space-based assets from cyber threats, anti-satellite weapons, and other risks, the episode explores the strategic, technological, and diplomatic dimensions of space cooperation. How do bilateral and multilateral initiatives advance shared security goals in an increasingly contested space environment? Beyond the progress of the last few years, what other opportunities exist for India and the U.S. to collaborate on space security?

In this episode of Interpreting India, Shatakratu Sahu engages with Anirudh Suri, a non-resident scholar at Carnegie India, to discuss the gaps in India’s AI ecosystem. They explore India’s National AI Mission, which prioritizes compute infrastructure and can build focus on talent, data, and research and development (R&D). The conversation highlights why these three elements are crucial to India's AI ambitions and how the country can build a globally competitive AI ecosystem.

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Vrinda Sahai engages in a comprehensive discussion with Arun K. Singh on the evolving India-U.S. relationship under Donald Trump's second term as president. The conversation delves into key developments during Trump's first term, including challenges like trade disputes and immigration issues, and successes such as the revival of the Quad, defense partnerships, and technology cooperation. As Trump 2.0 begins, how can India navigate a complex geopolitical landscape shaped by U.S.-China competition, the Quad framework, and India's own strategic priorities?

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Rudra Chaudhuri engages in an in-depth conversation with former Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Ambassador D. B. Venkatesh Varma on India’s evolving diplomatic landscape amid complex global shifts. They discuss recent developments in India-China relations, including limited re-engagement efforts along the border following the BRICS Summit. The conversation also covers India’s diplomatic positioning in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its expanding partnership with the United States, especially as the U.S. gears up for upcoming elections. Our guests offer insights into India’s approach to multipolarity, its relationship with China, and the importance of building stronger partnerships with other global powers.