Sandboxing: Prototyping and Experimentation Lessons for AI Powered DPI
Event Highlights
On 3 Dec 2025, Kalpa Impact, the Datasphere Initiative, and UNDP in Asia and the Pacific hosted an official pre-summit session to the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026.
We hosted over 90 participants for an engaging and thoughtful engagement.
Smt. Kavita Bhatia ji, Scientist G – MeitY, and Chief Operating Officer – IndiaAI opened the conversation highlighting India’s leadership on development-oriented AI and the critical role of sandboxes as countries integrate AI into large-scale digital systems.
Alex Oprunenco, Innovation Advisor – UNDP, Bangkok Regional Hub underscored why experimentation matters, especially in the Global South, where structured prototyping helps reduce risks and embed inclusion.
Panel Discussion I
Moderated by Sophie Tomlinson, Director of Programs, Datasphere, the first discussion spotlighted global lessons from ongoing sandbox initiatives .
Ramesh MC, CEO, Centre for Open Societal Systems – COSS, reflected on real-world iterative prototyping shaping India’s DPI journey – his reflections resonated widely with the speakers and audience.
Narun Popattanachai, Director, Office of the Council of State, Thailand, shared insights from more than 30 sandbox projects revealing risks early.
Armando J. Manzueta Peña, Viceminister, Public Innovation and Technology, Ministerio de Administración Pública RD highlighted the shift from isolated pilots to a coordinated national sandbox strategy.
Dr. Moses Nkundwe – Director General, ICT Commission of Tanzania, spoke to compliance and innovation on the Jamii DPI stack.
Panel Discussion II
The second discussion, moderated by Sushant Kumar, Founder and CEO – Kalpa Impact, examined governance challenges emerging at the intersection of AI and DPI.
Chrissy Martin Meier, Director, Policy, Digital Impact Alliance pointed to the accessibility gains AI can unlock.
Sourav Das, Investments Associate, Co-Develop, emphasised the need for an infrastructure mindset grounded in real use cases.
Astha Kapoor, Co-Founder, Aapti Institute, cautioned against bias risks in DPI datasets and encouraged adversarial design approaches.
Risper Onyango, Research and Policy Associate, Datasphere Initiative, stressed that trust requires deeper civil-society participation.
Verena Kontschieder, Co-CEO and Program Lead, Opendata.ch, highlighted the value of multiple experimentation spaces to keep innovation open and accountable.
What’s Next
Insights from this conversation will shape the DPI Sandbox Co-Creation Lab at the IndiaAI Impact Summit in Feb 2026.
🔗 Read the blog from the Datasphere Initiative to know more about the key takeaways from the event.