Can AI + India Stack become a global model for digital infrastructure?

India has built something few countries have: digital rails at population scale. But what happens when AI is layered on top of Aadhaar, UPI and public digital infrastructure?

In this episode of Chai & Chips, Om and I explore a bigger question:

Could India have a unique advantage in the AI era because of its digital public infrastructure?
We discuss:

• Why India Stack may matter even more in the age of AI
• How AI could transform public infrastructure at massive scale
• The opportunities and risks ahead
• What must be true for India to lead in this next wave

One idea from this conversation stayed with me: AI alone may not be the advantage. AI + infrastructure might be.

If that interests you, I think you’ll enjoy this episode.

Chapters:
01:00 - Introduction — What Must Be True for AI in DPI?
04:17 - Om’s Journey into India’s Digital Public Infrastructure
08:44 - Why India Stack Is Different from the Rest of the World
14:25 - The Core Building Blocks: Identity, Payments and Trust
26:52 - Opportunities at Population Scale: Health, Services and Inclusion
31:49 - Consent, Privacy and the Governance Challenge
42:10 – Ayushman Bharat – Risks, Opportunities & Impact
50:58 – Rapid Fire
54:07 – Why our R&D is weak; Case for India as a Use Case Factory
01:07:08 - Building AI Applications on Top of India Stack
01:10:33 - How to Build for Trust at Population Scale
01:21:53 – Final Question – Vision for India

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Resources:
Find Om on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omprakash-subbarao-5372564/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411

All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.

Can AI Actually Improve How Children Learn in India?
AI is entering classrooms faster than ever — but does it actually help children learn, or does it just give them the answers?

In this episode, host Prakash Mallya sits down with Vidya Jayaraman — chemical engineer turned math educator, founder of Math Adventures (acquired by Byju's in 2018), and now founder of StudyMatix — to ask the question that really matters:
What must be true for AI to genuinely improve how children learn?

In this episode:

• Why Vidya left a successful engineering career to teach math from her dining table in Bangalore
• The core problem with Indian education: we equate marks with success and rote learning with knowledge
• Why "process over answer" is the thread running through everything she has built
• How technology can empower teachers — without replacing them
• The real risks of AI in classrooms (hint: it's not just about the wrong answers)
• What "equal access to high-quality education" means vs. just "access"
• Her vision for India's learning outcomes in the next 10–15 years

One quote to remember: "Every child, regardless of where they were born, what language they speak, or how much their family owns, is capable of genuine, joyful, meaningful learning. Our job is simply to build a world that makes it possible." — Vidya Jayaraman

Chapters:
00:00: Introduction — What Must Be True for AI to Improve Learning?
01:58: Meet Vidya Jayaraman — From Chemical Engineer to Math Educator
05:31: The Journey: Math Adventures, Byju's, and StudyMatix
09:55: India's Education Crisis — The Stretched Teacher Problem
17:50: Why Ed-Tech Has Failed to Deliver on Its Promise
23:23: The Real Opportunity for AI in Education
30:04: What Good AI-Powered Learning Actually Looks Like
35:30: Rapid Fire
40:48: Bridging Learning Gaps — AI With Pedagogy at Its Core
54:33: Safety, Screen Time & What AI Should Never Replace
56:10: Final Question - India's Vision for Learning Outcomes in 10–15 Years
You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe, share, and leave us a review — it helps us grow this community and keep the conversations coming.

Resources:
Find Vidya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidya-jayaraman-69466247/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.

What must be true for AI to materially improve India’s cybersecurity outcomes?

In this episode of Chai & Chips, I speak with Anil Valluri, a technology leader who has spent over four decades at the forefront of India’s technology and infrastructure evolution.

As AI rapidly enters enterprise environments, cybersecurity leaders face new opportunities — and new risks. In this conversation, we explore what must actually change for AI to deliver meaningful improvements in cybersecurity outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The hidden risks of unsanctioned GenAI usage inside enterprises
• Why AI success in cybersecurity will depend more on usage than models
• The evolving role of cybersecurity leadership in the AI era
• India’s opportunity in chips, infrastructure, and talent
• Career lessons from 40+ years of leadership in technology
Chai & Chips is a long-form conversation series with leaders shaping technology, business, and policy in India and globally.
Chapters:
02:22: Context – Why AI and Cybersecurity Matter Now
03:05: Anil Valluri’s 40+ Year Journey in Technology
10:12: How India’s Technology Landscape Has Evolved
17:05: Threat Model and How AI changes that
27:05: The Hidden Risks of Unsanctioned GenAI in Enterprises
34:20: Rapid Fire
41:00: State of India Readiness on AI + Cyber Defence
54:10: What should not be automated in Cybersecurity
55:40: Leadership Lessons from Four Decades in Technology
1:08:53: Final question
If you enjoyed the conversation, please subscribe to the channel for future episodes.

Resources:

Find Anil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anil-valluri-5046b8/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411

All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.