Beyond the Principles: Operationalising Responsible AI for Social Impact

Digital Futures Lab curated a panel discussion on Responsible AI in India’s social sector for the first edition of AI & Equality’s Festival of Ideas 2026 — a virtual convening that brings together thought leaders across disciplines to speak honestly about what it actually takes to imagine, advocate for, and build safe, responsible, and equitable AI.AI is increasingly being deployed in high-stakes contexts — maternal health, legal aid and education — by organisations working with limited resources and vulnerable populations. As the social impact sector moves from cautious experimentation to active deployment, the question is no longer whether to build with AI, but how to do so responsibly, given that the costs of getting it wrong fall disproportionately on the communities these organisations exist to serve.The panel drew on experience from India's social impact ecosystem — one of the most active and complex testing grounds for AI in development contexts globally, where scale, diversity, and institutional constraint make the challenges of responsible deployment particularly salient. Research Associate, Sasha John, moderated conversation between Adalat AI’s Astha Khurana, ARMMAN’s Amrita Mahale, Quest Alliance’s Tanisha Kedia, ARTPARK’s Jigar Doshi and Tattle’s Dr. Baarish Aggarwal.

Together, they examined what it actually takes to translate a genuine ethic of care into AI development practice and reflected candidly on where organisations and ecosystems consistently fall short. Panellists touch on balancing innovating on improved model capabilities with deliberate slowness, the value of deep user research into AI attitudes and perceptions and the need for attention to context to build applications that will move beyond the pilot stage.