Ep. 52 (AI Futures) - How Local Innovations Could Drive Global AI Breakthroughs | Vilas Dhar, Patrick McGovern Foundation

In this episode of the AI Futures Podcast, host Anirudh Suri sits down with Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, member of the UN High Level Advisory Body on AI, and Harvard Kennedy School alum, to unpack Vilas' unique perspective on how technology can be harnessed as a force for global good. The conversation explores Vilas’s personal journey—from a childhood split between rural Illinois and villages outside Bangalore—to his current work overseeing half a billion dollars in investments focused on responsible AI. Dhar highlights successful initiatives like Climate Trace, which uses data to monitor carbon emissions, as examples of how AI can serve humanity beyond mere profit. The conversation addresses the importance of moving away from a Western-centric "AI race" toward a model of inclusive leadership.Key topics include:* How local constraints in the Global South are driving world-class innovation, such as India’s Sarvam AI.* The transition from tech "overdependence" to global interdependence, where every country finds its unique niche.* Real-world examples of AI for good, including Climate Trace, a platform for tracking carbon emissions used by thousands of organizations.* Why the next generation of students in Indian universities gives Vilas more hope for the future than anything coming out of Silicon Valley.Watch Anirudh and Vilas in conversation to understand what an AI-enabled world could look like if we started from values and principles first, as the world's AI conversation moves to India.Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.Chapters & Timestamps00:00 – Introduction & Reflections on the India AI Summit02:30 – A Journey Between Two Worlds05:15 – The Patrick McGovern Foundation & Responsible AI06:45 – AI for Good: Tracking Climate Change with Climate Trace08:30 – India’s AI Strategy: Innovation, Constraints, and Sarvam AI11:00 – From Overdependence to Global Interdependence in AI13:15 – Why Indian University Students are the Real Source of Hope15:30 – Shifting the Narrative: From "AI Race" to "AI Leadership"18:00 – Grounding Technology in Music, Arts, and Human Values20:15 – Final Reflections & Book/Podcast Recommendations-------Follow the India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About Vilas Dhar*Vilas Dhar is recognized as a leading global expert on the future of AI and its role in shaping society. As President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, he leads one of the world’s foremost philanthropies committed to demonstrating how data and AI can be harnessed to advance equity, human dignity, and collective progress. Vilas has also served as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, and is the U.S. Government’s nominated expert to the Global Partnership on AI. Read more about Patrick J. McGovern Foundation here: https://www.mcgovern.org/Climate Trace Project: https://climatetrace.org/*About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund.

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