Context:
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, CivicDataLab hosted a high-level panel convening government leaders, development partners, technologists, and civic innovators to explore how Data & AI Collaboratives can evolve into foundational digital public infrastructure - powering evidence-based policymaking, climate action, healthcare innovation, and inclusive economic growth.
Key reflections that stayed with us:
- The question is no longer what AI can do, but what AI should do.
- Responsible access to high-quality data and mechanisms to safely share it, remains foundational.
- And perhaps most encouragingly for India: leadership in AI does not only lie in invention, but in diffusion, adoption, and deployment at scale.
- At its core, the discussion reinforced one shared belief: Meaningful AI innovation depends on collective stewardship - open data ecosystems, ethical governance, and global collaboration.
The panel featured key note speakers: Harry Verweij (Keynote) — Ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague, Netherlands, Fred Werner (Keynote) — Chief, Strategic Engagement Division & AI for Good, International Telecommunication Union. The speakers were, Agnes Kiragga — Head of Data Science Program & Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Alexandru Oprunenco — Innovation Advisor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Anna Tumadóttir — CEO, Creative Commons, Ariane Hildebrandt — Director General, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany, Christine Arab — Regional Director, UN Women, Cecilia Celeste Danesi — Professor of AI & Civil Law, University of Buenos Aires, Hwirin Kim — Chief, Hydrological & Water Resources Services Division, World Meteorological Organization, Kathleen Victoir — Senior Scientific Co-operation Officer, Pasteur Network, Martin Tisné — Founder & Chair of the Board, Current AI, Nasubo Ongoma — Chief Operating Officer, Qhala.
The session was moderated by Mercedes Forgassey, Lead - Innovation and Digitisation, PARIS21; Gaurav Godhwani, Executive Director & Co-Founder, CivicDataLab; Nupura Gawde, Initiative Lead – Digital Public Goods & Infrastructure, CivicDataLab.
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