LIRNEasia Research Fellow Ashwini Natesan participated as a panelist at the Regional Dialogue on AI in Governance held on 19 February 2026 in New Delhi, India, during the AI Impact Summit Week. The high-level discussion marked the culmination of a regional initiative delivered under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Engagement Initiative, in partnership with Humber Polytechnic and Social & Media Matters.
Ashwini Natesan as a panelist at the Regional Dialogue on AI in Governance.
The initiative brought together policymakers, educators, and technology stakeholders from across South Asia to explore the ethical and practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in governance. Prior to the regional dialogue, consultations and capacity-building workshops were conducted in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to identify country-level priorities, challenges, and opportunities related to AI governance.
Ashwini discussing the importance of strengthening data governance frameworks to support responsible and inclusive AI adoption.
Drawing from the findings of the D4DAsia project, Ashwini highlighted the importance of strengthening data governance frameworks and fostering regional cooperation to support responsible and inclusive AI adoption. The discussion focused on how South Asian countries can balance innovation and regulation while addressing shared governance challenges in rapidly evolving digital ecosystems.
The panel also featured Raman Jit Singh (India), Muntasir Mamun, PhD(Bangladesh), Ujjwal Deep Dahal (Bhutan), and Adesh Khadka (Nepal), who shared country experiences, best practices, and perspectives on the relationship between innovation and regulation in AI governance across the region. The session was moderated by Ami Kumar.
The dialogue provided an important platform for cross-country learning and collaboration on AI governance, highlighting the need for regional approaches to data governance, capacity building, and policy development in South Asia.
