#rp26 speaker Urvashi Aneja

The future of technology is often already here – but unevenly distributed: 88 per cent of the world's population lives in countries of the Global South. Innovative solutions are quickly adopted there despite, or perhaps because of, limited resources – a perfect testing ground for the Global North, which often dominates development.

Urvashi Aneja is a leading writer, researcher and activist shaping the global conversation on AI ethics and policy. She asks: ‘If the future belongs to all of us, why can only a few influence it?’ This is because groundbreaking decisions, profits and data are concentrated in a few big tech companies, while others shoulder the burden – a phenomenon also known as digital colonialism.

Urvashi Aneja will speak at re:publica Berlin about digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the Global South – and why this concerns us all. Because a lot of novel tech is already being experimented on with there – and this reveals something about the challenges that lie ahead worldwide. We look forward to hearing her perspective!

Urvashi Aneja is the Founder and Director of Digital Futures Lab (DFL), one of India’s foremost think tanks examining the societal impacts of emerging technologies. Her work focuses on aligning technological innovation with the public interest and ensuring a more equitable distribution of technology’s gains. Her research spans AI governance, public-sector AI adoption, digital labour and platform work, the AI–climate nexus, and the broader equity and justice implications of emerging technologies for the Global Majority. Recognised by MIT Management Review as one of the 50 people shaping India’s digital rise (2025) and by TechCrunch as one of the influential women shaping AI globally (2024), Urvashi is a trusted advisor to governments, international organisations, and industry. Her research and commentary have appeared in The Financial Times, MIT Technology Review, Al Jazeera, BBC, Reuters, and The Economic Times. She holds an MPhil and PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Oxford.