Dr. Jessica Seddon discusses with Professor Karthik Narasimhan, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Princeton University, and Dr. Manish Gupta, Director of Google Research India, how natural Language Processing (NLP), combined with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), has opened up new possibilities for human-computer interaction through speech. This episode discusses some of the emerging uses of the technology to expand access to the internet and the opportunities that it offers; support and sustain rarer languages; streamline healthcare and other social applications. The conversation touches on the risks involved with both deeper intelligence and new forms of interactions and discusses ways to shape the technologies’  trajectory. 

Dr. Jessica Seddon in conversation with Professor Atul Kohli, David K.E. Bruce Professor of International Affairs, Princeton University, and Shankkar Aiyar, Senior Fellow, IDFC Institute

discusses how COVID-19 has deeply affected India’s economy and society. While the per capita infection and mortality rates are low by global standards, the sheer numbers of those affected are significant. The lockdown and ongoing business disruptions have led to an economic contraction of nearly 24% in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021. Such changes inevitably also have political economy impacts - on voter expectations, on perceptions of successes and failures, and on openings for new leaders and forms of leadership to emerge. This episode discusses some of the ways in which COVID is and may shape India’s political economy. 

Dr. Jessica Seddon in conversation with:

• Professor Shivaji Sondhi, Professor of Physics, Princeton University
• Dr. Srinath Raghavan, Professor of International Relations and History, Ashoka University

Episode: Recent border skirmishes between India and China have brought the tensions between the world’s two most populous countries to the forefront of geopolitical conversations. This episode puts the events of mid-2020 from a historical perspective, discusses some of the underlying dynamics and drivers of India’s relationship with its neighbor to the east, and discusses potential trajectories for the relationship in the coming months.