Scarcity, Sovereignty, Strategy: Mapping the Political Geography of AI Compute

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1. 

   S5 · E38 · 31 Mar 2026 · 43 min

   Data, AI, and the Laws Trying to Keep Up

   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…

2. 

   S5 · E37 · 25 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

   Inside the Iran Conflict: Power, Strategy, and India’s Balancing Act

   In this episode of Interpreting India, Srinath Raghavan speaks with Gaddam Dharmendra, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie India and India’s former Ambassador to Iran about the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and what it means for the region. The conversation looks at Iran’s response to sustained attacks, the wider impact on energy markets and regional stability, and the changing relationships between Iran, the Gulf countries, and global powers. It also reflects on India’s position as it balances its ties across West Asia while navigating strategic and economic pressures, and what…

3. 

   S5 · E36 · 26 Feb 2026 · 54 min

   Recalibrating BRICS: India’s Moment in a Fragmented World

   In this episode of Interpreting India, Vrinda Sahai is joined by Ana Garcia, Associate Professor at PUC-Rio and Coordinator at the BRICS Policy Center, to discuss the evolving direction of BRICS as India assumes the 2026 presidency. The conversation reflects on Brazil’s 2025 chairship, the bloc’s continued focus on reforming global financial governance, and the cautious progress on issues such as local currency trade, financial coordination, and institutional reform. Ana Garcia also highlights the limits of BRICS as a unified geopolitical actor and outlines key priorities for India,…

4. 

   S5 · E35 · 3 Feb 2026 · 37 min

   Deciphering the “Mother of All Trade Deals”: The India–EU FTA

   In this episode of Interpreting India, Dinakar Peri is joined by Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and a veteran trade negotiator, to unpack the newly concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement and why he describes it as the “mother of all trade deals” for India. Kumar explains why the agreement is strategically significant, why the timing matters, and what it signals about India’s trade posture, competitiveness, and broader alignment between trade, technology, and security. Why is the India–EU FTA seen as India’s most consequential trade deal to date? Why did it take so long to…

5. 

   S5 · E34 · 30 Jan 2026 · 47 min

   AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale: The UCAF Framework

   In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Shalini Kapoor, chief strategist for Data and AI at the EkStep Foundation, and Tanvi Lall, director for strategy at People+ai. They unpack why so many AI initiatives get stuck after impressive demos, and what it takes to move from pilots to real, sustained adoption. Drawing on research spanning 1,000+ use cases across 25 countries, the guests introduce the Use Case Adoption Framework (UCAF) and explain how India can translate AI ambition into population-scale impact—especially across public services, agriculture, health, and…

6. 

   S4 · E32 · 31 Oct 2025 · 37 min

   Cybersecurity in Outer Space: A Growing Concern

   In this episode of Interpreting India, host Tejas Bharadwaj is joined by P. J. Blount, an assistant professor of space law at Durham University. Together, they delve into the critical topic of cybersecurity in outer space, exploring the challenges and implications of protecting space-based assets amidst rising geopolitical tensions and technological advancements. Blount shares insights from his extensive research in international space law and cyberspace governance, highlighting the complexities of legal attribution and the evolving landscape of space security.

7. 

   S4 · E31 · 16 Oct 2025 · 48 min

   Unbundling AI Openness: Beyond the Binary

   In this episode of Interpreting India, host Shruti Mittal, research analyst in the Technology and Society Program at Carnegie India, speaks with Chinmayi Sharma, associate professor of law at Fordham Law School and nonresident fellow at the Stoss Center, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Atlantic Council. Together, they explore the evolving and often misunderstood debate on openness in artificial intelligence. Drawing from her forthcoming paper, Unbundling AI Openness, in the Wisconsin Law Review, Sharma explains why the traditional “open versus closed” framing oversimplifies…

8. 

   S4 · E30 · 18 Sep 2025 · 50 min

   India’s Air Defense After Operation Sindoor: Lessons and the Road Ahead

   In this episode of Interpreting India, host Dinakar Peri is joined by Air Marshal (Retd.) Diptendu Choudhury, former Commandant of the National Defence College. Together, they unpack the evolution of India’s multilayered air defense network, tracing their journey from limited radar coverage in the 1960s to today’s multilayered, integrated network capable of projecting power into adversarial airspace. The discussion highlights how offensive and defensive air power work in tandem, lessons from Operation Sindoor, the growing challenges posed by drones, missiles, and cost-effectiveness, and the…

9. 

   S4 · E29 · 28 Aug 2025 · 55 min

   Military AI and Autonomous Weapons: Gender, Ethics, and Governance

   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.

10. 

    S4 · E28 · 10 Jul 2025 · 39 min

    Beyond Superintelligence: A Realist's Guide to AI

    In this episode of Interpreting India, host Nidhi Singh is joined by Sayash Kapoor, co-author of AI Snake Oil, to unpack the myths, misconceptions, and exaggerated expectations around artificial intelligence. Kapoor challenges the dominant narratives of both utopian and dystopian AI futures and advocates instead for a more grounded perspective, viewing AI as a “normal technology,” akin to electricity or the internet, whose impact will unfold gradually over decades. Through a wide-ranging conversation, the episode examines the limitations of benchmark-based evaluation, the dangers of…