Rina Chandran

There are challenges: internet connectivity, use of blockchain, and vulnerability to bias, attacks, data breaches, and manipulation. And what if the AI system goes against the interest of the community? But at least “you can’t poison an AI candidate or make him fall out of a window."

An AI avatar is running to represent Indigenous voters in Colombia "Gaitana" is the digital stand-in for two candidates who will use the platform to seek consensus from their communities on all legislative matters.

In Colombia's parliamentary elections this weekend, voters can vote for an AI avatar, Gaitana, a stand-in for two Indigenous candidates, who say they will use AI platform for consensus from their communities on all legislative matters.
restofworld.org/2026/ai-avat...

India’s tech sovereignty is built on digital dependence In his new book, “Computing in the Age of Decolonization: India’s Lost Technological Revolution,” researcher Dwaipayan Banerjee argues that a focus on technical solutions has made the country dependen...

Over the past decade, India has launched schemes promising to harness digital technology to overcome social and political challenges. Yet they have only delivered new forms of dependent development and state capture. An excerpt from @dwaipayanbanerjee.bsky.social book
restofworld.org/2026/dwaipay...

It was so great to meet so many of you! Thanks for organising.

The next AI whistleblower could come from anywhere in the world A digital safe allows workers to speak up about concerns even in places without strong whistleblower protections, Mary Inman, a founding board member of Psst, said in an interview.

There are growing concerns around AI safety, yet whistleblowers are not protected in all countries. Mary Inman, who has represented Frances Haugen and Tyler Shultz, hopes that a digital safe will encourage more AI workers in any country to come forward.
restofworld.org/2026/ai-whis...

Gig workers in Africa have been helping the US military. They had no idea Data labelers for the company Appen say they have little insight about how their work is used.

An investigation found that Appen, which relies on gig workers across Africa to train AI systems, performed work for U.S. military agencies. Workers say they had little visibility into the end use https://restofworld.org/2026/gig-workers-us-military-appen/?utm_campaign=row-social

Family deepfakes help people celebrate and grieve in India There is growing demand for recreating dead and absent family members for events using AI.

India is introducing some of the strictest laws on deepfakes, requiring creators and platforms to label all AI-generated content and to remove such content within hours when ordered to. "Good-faith" deepfakes are exempt, and this story shows how they also bring joy.
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AI is giving tech companies power that once belonged to governments AI companies wield enormous economic, political, and cultural power globally, with states reluctant to regulate them, potentially leading to risks and greater inequity.

As the #IndiaAIImpactSummit continues, the most important divide may not be East-West or North-South but public-private. AI is shifting economic and, increasingly, political power away from governments. Who gets to govern them?
restofworld.org/2026/ai-gove...

How cheap Chinese phones catapulted Kenya into the global digital economy In his new book “Silicon Elsewhere: Nairobi, Global China, and the Promise of Techno-Capital,” writer Andrea Pollio charts the growth of Chinese investment and companies in the Kenyan capital.

Excerpt from Silicon Elsewhere: Nairobi, Global China, and the Promise of Techno-Capital by Andrea Pollio on the crucial role of cheap Chinese phones. "Mobile phones are the unsung material commodities without which Kenya’s ambitious programs would have faltered.”
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A new California law requires VC firms to disclose the demographics of their portfolios from April. Will it shame VC firms into investing more in women- and minority-led startups?

Immigrant women founders face double hurdle in Silicon Valley Persistent racism and sexism in the venture capital industry are denying immigrant women founders an opportunity to participate in the AI boom.

The AI boom is disproportionately benefiting male-led startups, with only 2% of VC funding going to women-led startups. Immigrant women fare even worse, as they face racism and sexism. This has consequences for how AI is shaped globally.
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Headline from the NYT on San Francisco

Ah gee, thanks guys! #superbowl #sanfrancisco

China is running the EV playbook on humanoid robots — and it’s working Chinese companies control 90% of the humanoid robot market, dominating the technology that will reshape manufacturing and labor. The West is barely competing.

Despite all the talk about a U.S.-China race, there is “no friction” in the research world, Goldberg said. “We are all working on the same problems.” But don’t believe all the videos of robots doing amazing things. Read @restofworld.org on China's robots playbook
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AI robot dolls charm their way into nursing the elderly ChatGPT-powered robotic seven-year-olds are taking over some work from caregivers, to the delight of seniors who treat them like grandchildren.

Perhaps the most pressing need is for home robots, especially in countries with ageing populations and labor shortages, like the U.S. Home robots and care robots are already used widely in Japan and South Korea.
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The data that is needed is much more nuanced and high-dimensional than the data needed for LLMs. Nvidia is trying to address the shortfall by learning from YouTube videos, and China is fixing the gap with massive data farms where people teach robots various actions.

When is the ChatGPT moment for robotics? Ken Goldberg, a prof at UC Berkeley, and co-founder of two robotics firms, said robots are getting better at doing specific tasks – like sorting parcels and folding towels – and that we can get to general robots that can do everything. There is a data gap.

To understand China, we need to understand the Chinese internet In her new book “The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet,” journalist Yi-Ling Liu examines the country’s censorship, viral trends and growing global power.

Read an excerpt from @yilingliu95.bsky.social new book! “To understand China today and where it’ll go tomorrow, we must learn to read the Chinese internet: what goes viral and what disappears just as swiftly, how it shapes and is shaped by the outside world ... .”
restofworld.org/2026/wall-da...

I Escaped Chinese Mafia Crypto Slavery | Hacklab | WIRED YouTube video by WIRED

For months, an Indian computer engineer trapped in a pig-butchering scam compound in Laos was secretly messaging @agreenberg.bsky.social and leaking him materials. This mini documentary is the incredible story of how he exposed the Chinese organized crime groups and, more importantly, escaped.

The world is trying to log off U.S. tech Some global users are turning to services like Proton Mail and UpScrolled instead.

There is growing frustration and unease with the domination of U.S. tech, and more countries and startups are trying to find or build alternatives.
restofworld.org/2026/big-tec...

Meet UpScrolled, the anti-censorship TikTok alternative The company's CEO says users are flooding the platform after the sale of TikTok in the U.S.

Soon after the TikTok deal was done, Issam Hijazi saw a big uptick in users to his platform UpScrolled. That stream of disgruntled users fleeing TikTok over censorship fears turned into a flood this week, crashing UpScrolled’s servers. Read @restofworld.org interview
restofworld.org/2026/upscrol...

Death of an Indian tech worker A wave of suicides and widespread AI-fueled layoffs reveal a workforce under extreme pressure.

India’s $280-billion tech sector is fueling extreme burnout, and grappling with a series of suicides among its stretched workers. As AI disruption mounts, is India a canary in the coal mine for global tech? Read our new feature on @restofworld.org by Parth MN
restofworld.org/2026/india-t...

French lawmakers pass bill banning social media for under-15s.

It will now go to the Senate, France's upper house, ahead of becoming law

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While politicians shape U.S.-China relations, their families turn to the stock market Politicians' spouses and children are buying and selling stocks in TSMC, Alibaba, and Tencent.

U.S. politicians and their family members are trading in stocks of foreign companies such as TSMC, Alibaba, Tencent and Infosys, while serving on committees with the power to oversee or influence policies affecting these firms. Hazel Gandhi reports @restofworld.org
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Deepfakes are causing real damage, and people are forming emotional attachments to AI companions. These will become bigger issues. If companies won't self-regulate, governments must step in.

China, where AI boyfriends are very popular, last month introduced a draft law to rein in AI chatbots that offer emotional companionship. The rules target harms such as emotional manipulation, dependency-building, deceptive promises, nudging users into irrational decisions and encouraging self-harm.

The Korean law requires that all AI-generated content carry watermarks - while U.S. lawmakers themselves post deepfake images. The Korean law requires providers to inform users when services are AI-based and ensure safety in "high-risk" areas such as employment, loan reviews, and medical advice.

While the U.S. government refuses to regulate AI and is trying to prevent states from legislating AI, other countries - notably in Asia - are going ahead and doing just that. South Korea this week became the first country to adopt comprehensive legislation on AI safety.

Here's the report:

economicgraph.linkedin.com/content/dam/...

AI engineering talent is 8x more likely to move across borders than the average LinkedIn member. Top destinations include the UAE, some European hubs, and the U.S.— while India and Israel are net exporters.

Data centers created over 600,00 net new jobs globally over the past year, including technicians and engineers, and that's not counting plumbers and electricians - who are apparently commanding six-figure salaries, per Nvidia ceo Jensen Huang.