How far should governments go in using AI?

As governments begin deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in public administration, national security and policymaking, questions about its safe usage and accountability have taken centre-stage. The issue came into focus in the U.S. after reports revealed a dispute between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic, which refused to remove safeguards that were in place to prevent mass surveillance and the usage of autonomous weapons. The incident underscored a deeper tension between governments seeking to deploy AI systems and the companies that control them. As states collaborate more closely with AI companies, who ultimately governs the systems that govern us? Guests: Isha Suri, Research Lead at the Centre for Internet and Society, and Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific Policy Director and Senior International Counsel at Access Now, a nonprofit committed to defending digital rights Host: Areena Arora Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The BJP has been in power in Assam for ten years. As the state goes to the polls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is looking for a second term. Surprisingly, there has been little talk of anti-incumbency. Will the elections pivot on identity politics, or will economic issues take centrestage? How will the 2023 delimitation exercise impact the elections? Will the death of Zubeen Garg be a factor? Will the Congress’s focus on personal corruption of the state CM pay off?  Guest: Angshuman Choudhury, Researcher and writer from Assam, currently undertaking doctoral research jointly at the National University of Singapore and King’s College London. Host: G. Sampath Edited by Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rapidly escalating crisis in West Asia has sent shockwaves through the world's energy supply. Iran has effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel through which nearly a third of the world's LPG passes, after joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders. The West Asian country has also hit Israel and American bases in the Persian Gulf, and also targeted oil and gas facilities in the region. The conflict has hit India particularly hard. The country imports a majority of its crude oil needs and nearly 90% of its LPG from that region and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has hit supply of all crude oil products. LPG has been the worst hit, as India does not hold a strategic reserves of the product. From commercial LPG shortages hitting restaurants and industries, to long queues at cylinder distribution centres, the crisis is playing out in real time. The government has moved fast, invoking the Essential Commodities Act, ramping up refinery production, and reaching out to alternative suppliers.  In this episode, we go beyond the immediate shortage and ask the harder questions. Why does India's storage infrastructure leave it so exposed to disruptions like this? Was the decision to reduce Russian oil purchases, widely seen as a concession to secure a US trade deal, a miscalculation that made this crisis worse? And with the government likely to absorb all additional costs, what kind of pressure does that put on India's finances? And, what would happen if crude hits $200 a barrel and the Hormuz disruption runs for months? Guest: Narendra Taneja, Energy expert  Host: Nivedita V Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its third week, the conflict is widening with rising casualties and growing regional risks. With more than 2,100 people killed and American troops also targeted, the stakes are escalating. What options does America have now? Smriti Sudesh speaks with The Hindu’s International Affairs Editor Stanly Johny on where the war could be heading. Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indians by and large are a highly religious people. But there are many other cultures that are as religious, if not more. What makes India unique in this regard is perhaps the abundance of self-styled godmen, and the mass followings they rapidly acquire.  Many of these godmen, or ‘gurus’, exploit the psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of their followers to amass massive wealth and political power. They operate like cult-leaders, and control every aspect of their followers’ lives. And a cult is a very different animal from a faith-based congregation – it initiates a total erasure of personality, and the follower becomes almost like a human version of AI, pre-programmed to obey the cult leader’s bidding, no matter how harmful it might be.  In her riveting memoir, ‘The Cost of a Promised Afterlife’ Priyamvada Mehra narrates the painful saga of growing up in a family torn apart by their blind devotion to a godman, and how she managed to liberate herself from the cult and brainwashing, and chart her own course in life.  In this episode of InFocus-Weekend, we discuss her book, her journey of self-healing from the trauma of being in an abusive cult, and why so many Indians continue to fall for unscrupulous godmen. Host: G. sampath Edited and produced by Shiksha Jural Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, thousands of farmers across the country burnt symbolic copies of the India-US trade deal. They were protesting against the interim framework for a trade deal that India had signed with the US. While the Union government has emphasised that they have kept sensitive agriculture products out of the deal, farmers’ outfits and Opposition parties have said that the government has surrendered the interests of Indian farmers.  It is being said that cheap, highly subsidised American produce will flood Indian markets, depressing domestic prices and hitting rural incomes. But the government claims that the deal will have safeguards built in, and so Indian farmers have nothing to worry.  But farmers’ organisations are planning to intensify their protests in the coming weeks. Why are they not convinced by the government’s assurances? What are their concerns? And what are their demands?  Guest: Dr Ashok Dhawale, a member of the National Coordination Committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SM) and National President of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Host: G. Sampath Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major war has erupted in West Asia, with Israel, the U.S., and Iran locked in direct conflict. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel just before the country, along with the U.S., attacked Iran. India did not condemn the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, the war has resulted in rising energy prices, economic risks, and put at risk  the safety of hundreds of thousands of Indian families in the region. Is India tailing the U.S. in its West Asia policy? Here, we discuss the question. Tune in! Guests: Amb. Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian Diplomat. He served as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE & Kabir Taneja, Executive Director of Observer Research Foundation Middle East. Host: Smriti Sudesh Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the immediate shock has faded — but the consequences are still unfolding.The Court made clear that the Trump administration can not use emergency economic powers to redesign the country's trade policy, reaffirming that tariff authority rests with Congress. Within hours, the administration turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, imposing a temporary 10% tariff, which was later revised to 15%. Whether that move withstands legal scrutiny remains uncertain.There are several questions that remain unanswered — will businesses get refunds for the $160 billion collected under the now-invalid tariffs? Did countries that rushed into negotiations concede too quickly? And what does this mean for India, which made trade concessions only to see the tariffs collapse in court Guest: Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation Host: Nivedita V Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramnaian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India clinched a historic third T20 World Cup title with a commanding win over New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Standout performances underlined India’s dominance, especially Sanju Samson’s remarkable run through the knockout stages.But the final has also sparked debate. Was the batting-friendly pitch worthy of a World Cup summit clash? Should curators shape conditions to produce high-scoring spectacles, or does that undermine the balance between bat and ball? And how does Ahmedabad compare with iconic Indian venues like Wankhede or Eden Gardens when it comes to hosting cricket’s biggest matches?In this episode of In Focus, veteran cricket journalist Pradeep Magazine talks about India’s dominant campaign, the controversy around pitch preparation and the legacy of this champion side in the evolving landscape of world cricket. Host: Reuben Joe Joseph Guest: Pradeep Magazine, veteran cricket journalist and author Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Days after a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant threatened that “heads must roll” for the “reckless, irresponsible, motivated, contemptuous conduct and manner” in which the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education, portrayed the judiciary as a venal institution in a Class 8 Social Science textbook, our guest, former Supreme Court judge, Justice Abhay S. Oka, takes a studied view of the controversy. The podcast discusses if the government, through the NCERT, used the textbook as an anti-judiciary propaganda tool to influence young minds in their formative years. The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the textbook’s contents. It imposed a “complete ban” and ordered the withdrawal of the textbook in an order on February 26. It said the textbook’s contents revealed “calculated” attempt to instill a sense of bias against the judiciary in the “impressionable minds” of young school children, and through them, to the society at large and even the future generations. The court has no intention to let go and has scheduled the suo motu case for further hearing on March 11, 2026. The episode also debates if the ban on the book amounted to judicial censorship. Under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, free speech can be restricted only through a law.  Finally, the discussion delves into the court’s decision to initiate contempt action and going on a limb to make school principals “personally responsible” to “seize and seal” the copies of the textbook. Guest: Justice Abhay S. Oka, former Supreme Court judge Host: Krishnadas Rajagopal Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices