Scaling AI for Social Good with Wadhwani AI | 101

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In this special interview edition of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias sits down with Shekar Sivasubramanian, Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, to explore how AI can be deployed at scale for social good. Shekar shares powerful stories of AI in action—from an oral reading fluency assistant helping millions of Indian children, to smartphone-powered pest detection for rural farmers. This episode dives into designing for deployment (not just innovation), building trust with limited data, and why humility and human-centered thinking are vital for transformative impact. It’s a conversation full of heart, hope, and hard-earned wisdom.
Shekar Sivasubramanian brings nearly four decades of experience in technology and business leadership, having scaled multiple startups to billion-dollar valuations. Now Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, he leads a team delivering AI solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and education to underserved populations across India. An alum of IIT Bombay and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Shekar also maintains deep technical expertise and a research affiliation with Carnegie Mellon University.
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Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey.
https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan
Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights.
https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

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1. Introduction to Shekar Sivasubramanian (00:00:00)

2. What Is Wadhwani AI and Its Mission? (00:02:06)

3. Oral Reading Fluency Assistant for Children (00:05:00)

4. What Wadhwani Learned from 5 Million Students (00:10:57)

5. Building Trust with AI When Data Is Limited (00:18:23)

6. Designing AI for Low-Resource Settings (00:26:29)

7. Partnering with Government for AI Deployment (00:36:59)

8. AI That Supports Workers, Not Replaces Them (00:46:45)

9. What’s Next for Wadhwani AI (00:51:55)