How to set smart rules for sharing public data
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 wrapped up in New Delhi earlier this week, bringing together leaders from tech, government, and civil society to talk about how India should shape its AI future.
One hot topic: how to set smart rules for sharing public data so everyone—from startups to farmers—can actually benefit.
Dr. Tharoor's keynote address
Dr. Shashi Tharoor delivered the keynote address calling for "structured openness"—framing it around power, sovereignty and value extraction and advocating open data infrastructure with guardrails and domestic capacity to prevent inequalities and external dependency.
Speakers suggested machine-readable, richly annotated datasets and AI-ready public data infrastructure (APIs, interoperability standards, and reliable, scalable access), while Irina Ghose pitched a new way to handle local AI data called a "model context protocol."
Real laws needed to treat public data as essential infrastructure
The panel pushed for real laws that treat public data as essential infrastructure.
This could help unlock cool uses like better crop-loss prediction with AI and make India less dependent on outside tech.
It's all about building a digital economy where more people get access to the data that drives innovation.