The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill - that has been listed as one of the items for discussion in the Monsoon Session of Parliament - will, if enacted be a significant first step in the journey to a functional privacy regime. But there is still a lot to be done including issuing regulations and establishing the Data Protection Board.

Regulating the intersection of data protection and competition is hard. Dominant platforms can leverage user data to create monopolies, limit user choice and raise competition concerns. As India prepares its own data protection law, it should try and avoid regulatory overlaps and strike a balance between data protection and competition regulation.

We tend to think of technology as either “good” nor “bad” based on the outcomes it has. This is futile as in most instances any harms that may be caused by technology is on account of how it is used and by whom.

New Technologies require regulators to think innovatively about safety. To find a way to encourage experimentation and yet not do so at the cost of human safety. This is a difficult line to draw but draw it we must.

As artificial intelligence enters into the music industry, incumbents have already begun to resist the transformation it will inevitably bring. But change is inevitable and it is only those artists who are able to embrace it who will survive the transition.

Our instinctive reaction to new and revolutionary technology is often fear of consequences that we cannot predict. But if we can rein in our instincts and conquer our fears, maybe we can master of the technology.

We’ve embraced technology when it comes to urban transport leveraging ride hailing applications for personal transport as well as the delivery of packages of all sorts right to our doorstep. And yet, our national road transport system is surprisingly analog.

We have, for most of our existence as a nation, accepted the governance frameworks that have already been implemented elsewhere in the world. With digital public infrastructure India is, perhaps for the first time, making the rules. It is time for us to stop being rule-takers and assume the role of rule-makers.

When healthcare is powered by artificial intelligence and smart devices, we must ensure that all of humanity stands to benefit. We need open, transparent and customisable algorithms in our hardware.

Regulators believe that the moment a new technology comes around they need to flex their regulatory muscle to wrestle it under control. In most instances they would be far better off waiting till they fully understand all the dimensions of the problem before acting. The new CERT-In advisory on generative AI is a case in point.