Earlier this year during Dasra Philanthropy Week 2025, innovators, changemakers, and thought leaders came together in Bengaluru to explore the role of Data, Technology, and AI in driving social impact. 

We caught up with three panellists to find out what was discussed at their sessions and to hear their views on the future of technology in the social sector. 

Sarayu Natarajan, the founder of the Aapti Institute was on the panel “Gender inclusive Data technologies - Need for a paradigm shift”. She shares with us how her work intersects with AI and her views on the opportunities and challenges raised by it.

Vijay Sai Pratap from Graamvani, was on a panel that discussed “The Power of Open Source and Collaborative Technology for Social Change”. He talks about how contextual community-based knowledge should get incorporated into large models and the importance of collaborative development in the context of tech and its applications for the social sector.

Finally we have Vaibhav Chugh from the Council on Energy Environment and Water, a public policy think tank who was a panelist on “Collaborating for Impact: Tech & AI Innovations for Community Resilience in India”. Vaibhav talks through his work on climate change, “building in public” and building for interoperability. He also talks about the need to address bias.

For more about No-Cost Extension Podcast and to listen to previous episodes, visit https://www.dasra.org/nce