Data, AI, and the Laws Trying to Keep Up

Data, AI, and the Laws Trying to Keep Up

From Interpreting India by Carnegie India

March 31, 2026 · 43 min · Season 5 · Episode 38

About this episode

Nidhi Singh discusses data protection and AI governance in India with technology lawyer Nikhil Narendran.

In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Nikhil Narendran, Partner at Trilegal, for a conversation on two of the most pressing issues shaping India's digital future: data protection and AI governance. From the nuts and bolts of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act to deeper questions about regulating artificial intelligence, Nikhil brings the perspective of a technology lawyer who is not just advising on these issues but actively living them. Is the DPDP Act really as consent-heavy as it's made out to be, and does India's regulatory design have the teeth to handle a Cambridge Analytica-scale misuse of personal data? Does India need a standalone AI law, or can existing frameworks handle the harms AI poses? How is AI reshaping the practice of law from within, and what does it mean that lawyers at Trilegal are now "vibe coding"? What is artificial intimacy, why is it a regulatory blind spot, and why should we start paying attention now?

People in this episode

Host: Nidhi Singh

Guest: Nikhil Narendran

Topics covered

  • data protection
  • AI governance
  • Digital Personal Data Protection Act
  • regulation of artificial intelligence

Keywords

  • Cambridge Analytica
  • artificial intimacy
  • vibe coding

Mentioned in this episode

Places: India

More episodes of Interpreting India

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Interpreting India podcast page.