Ex Machina - the Podcast

Ex Machina is a podcast that uncovers hidden stories about how technology changes society, and how technologies developed in India are going to affect the world. It places all these technologies in context, telling the story about how they were made and explaining exactly why they are so significant.

Ex Machina is produced by Vaaka Media. Theme music composed by Erwick D’Souza. Editing and Mastering by Erwick D’Souza.

Justice Srikrishna on Privacy

In the first episode of Ex Machina Justice Srikrishna sits down for a wide ranging discussion on the many issues that he has been involved in - from the Mumbai riots to financial sector reform. But for the most part the interview focuses on data privacy and his critical role in shaping India’s law.

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The Incurable Disease

There are certain rare diseases that have for a long time been thought to be incurable. Today radical new therapies are being developed, largely on an experimental basis in laboratories in the developed world. This episode tells the story of one Indian family’s heroic effort to find the cure for an incurable disease, racing against time to try and save their son’s life.

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The Sharing Solution

Very early on at the dawn of India’s tech boom, we gave the world its first shareable handheld computation device. But despite its promise, the Simputer never made it big. Today, India has the opportunity to change the world yet again in its own unique way, this time in the arena of urban mobility. But in order to do that we will need to fundamentally change the way we think about commuting.

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Platforms for Society

In this episode of Ex Machina, Pramod Varma, Chief Architect of Aadhaar, sits down for a wide ranging interview that covers everything from his early life to his motivations for getting involved in Aadhaar. We also discuss how the various elements of India Stack came to be and what it means for inclusion and the future of the country.

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A Delicious Irony

Why did it take so long for India to develop into the technology powerhouse that it is today? What were the decisions that we took along the way that sent us down the path we finally followed? And how has all this influenced the way in which technology has changed Indian society? This episode discussing the history of Indian science and technology, features Jahnavi Phalkey, science historian and filmmaker and Arun Sukumar, lawyer and PhD student at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

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