Speakers for TASI 2026

An Indian Police Service Officer. She holds domain specific expertise on Combatting cyber crimes against women and children. Ms. Dongre is part of the INTERPOL South Asian Child Trafficking Victim Identification Task Force and was an integral part of the Kerala Police team addressing child sexual abuse. She had the privilege of representing Kerala Police at the National security conference 2023 of the Government of India on Kerala Police’s institutionalized approach in Combating Online Child sexual abuse. She has been accoladed for her sessions for police recruit trainees on Child Sexual Abuse material and police-public perception at Kerala police academy. Ms Aishwarya has authored a research paper : The Perfect Victim- which analyses crime data trends between online and offline child sexual abuse and another research based on Drug Investigation in India. She organized a “Women Security Fair – Uyare,” a one of its kind gathering of district departments to provide a multi-pronged approach to women’s safety and security. Over 3000 women attended the initiative, where attendees discussed cyber security, financial security, employment security, and health and emotional well-being. Ms Dongre set up Kerala’s first Cyber Simulator room in Kochi for protecting children in the online space by exposing them experientially to online cyber crimes. She also Initiated A Cyber Ambassador Project as a District Police head of Thrissur Rural, that made youth leaders as cyber safety ambassadors from different colleges and youth organizations. She believes that technology is here to grow – and as enforcement officers riding the tide is the only way forward. She was one of the 5 participants chosen from India for the prestigious US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program in 2024 on working in the space of Combating Human Trafficking with Technology.

Akash Pugalia is Chief Digital Officer at TP, where he leads TP.ai Data Services and the company's global Trust & Safety business. With more than 25 years of experience across technology-enabled services, Media & Entertainment, Gaming and Trust & Safety, Akash has built and led global businesses serving some of the world's leading technology platforms. His work focuses on the intersection of AI, data, human expertise and trust, with particular emphasis on responsible AI, AI data, online safety and the evolving role of human intelligence in AI-enabled environments. He is passionate about building practical approaches to Trust & Safety that balance innovation, scale and the need to protect people in increasingly complex digital ecosystems.

Ankit Bose leads the AI vertical at Nasscom with a clear conviction that 'AI must scale with trust, not hype'. He works at the intersection of policy, innovation, startups, research, and enterprise adoption, thereby helping organizations move from pilots to production-grade AI that businesses can run and engineers can implement. His mission is to turn India’s diversity and scale into a global advantage, shaping the 'Safe, Trusted, and Scalable AI' and unlocking a $500B opportunity through execution. As head of Nasscom AI, Ankit architects ecosystem programs like the Nasscom GenAI Foundry to connect deep-tech startups with enterprise demand, leads the Nasscom Responsible AI practices around safety and accountability, and guides CXOs through adoption frameworks and maturity benchmarks.

Ashwini Natesan is a legal consultant and research fellow specializing in Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) law. As a Research Fellow at LIRNEasia, a tech policy think tank, founded in Sri Lanka, she focuses on issues relating to data protection, data governance, online safety, AI ethics, and the use of data for public good. She is also a Consultant at Julius & Creasy for TMT law. Additionally, she undertakes independent projects related to online safety, data protection, AI governance, and the right to information. She has several publications to her credit and frequently presents at conferences nationally and internationally. She is a Director on the Board of a leading financial institution in Sri Lanka. Previously, she was part of the Responsible AI sub-committee tasked with drafting Sri Lanka's National AI Strategy. She is a part of the Digital Trust Alliance Board, an initiative to promote trust and safety. She was selected to the Media Policy Institute at the University of Oxford in 2024 and is a former Fellow of the Internet Law and Policy Foundry. She was also selected as a regional expert for the Asia Pacific Consultation on Human Rights in the Digital Space by the International Commission of Jurists in 2025. She holds an LL.M. (Master of Laws) from the National University of Singapore and has completed various certifications, fellowships, and programmes, including in AI policy, AI Governance, and AI Safety Fundamentals.

Bansuri Swaraj is an Indian lawyer and politician currently serving as Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for New Delhi. She earned her BA in English Literature from the University of Warwick, studied law at BPP Law School and qualified as a Barrister from the Inner Temple, completing a Master of Studies at Oxford University.

Barkha Dutt is one of India's best known broadcast journalists. With close to 30 years of reporting experience Barkha shot to fame with her frontline reporting of the Kargil war in 1999. After two decades with NDTV she left to start her own company, digital platform Mojo Story. She is the winner of more than 60 national and international awards including India's fourth highest civilian honour, the Padmashri. She has also been recognised as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum. Barkha Dutt is a columnist with the Washington Post, Hindustan Times, The Week, and Dainik Bhaskar.

Basarbatu (Basar) Can is a Machine Learning Scientist at Booking.com, where he works on applying large language models to Trust & Safety-related business cases. He has approximately 15 years of experience spanning machine learning, software engineering, bioinformatics, optics, and sensor technology. His career includes senior data science roles at ABN AMRO and GE Power, as well as earlier engineering and research positions at GE Aviation, Ford, and academic and technology organizations in Turkey. His experience spans financial services, energy, aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, and applied research. Basarbatu holds a PhD in Machine Learning from Sabancı University, an MSc in Optics from Koç University, and a BSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University. His academic work includes online anomaly detection, Neyman–Pearson classification, active learning, bioinformatics, MEMS, and computational optics. He has authored more than 10 research publications and holds more than two patents.

Caroline Humer began her career in child protection, specializing in the global response to child sexual exploitation and missing children. Over nearly two decades, she has worked at the intersection of technology, protection, and international collaboration, helping shape new approaches to some of the most complex challenges facing vulnerable people online. In 2022, Caroline co-founded the Trust & Safety Forum in Lille, France, creating a dedicated space for the rapidly growing Trust & Safety community to connect, exchange expertise, and develop practical solutions for a safer digital environment. Building on its success, she co-founded the Trust & Safety Festival in 2024, expanding the conversation internationally and bringing together platforms, regulators, policymakers, law enforcement, NGOs, researchers, technology providers, and other stakeholders committed to making the digital world safer for everyone. In 2024, Caroline also co-founded Survivors & Technology Solving Image-Based Sexual Abuse (STISA), a global NGO focused on transforming the response to image-based sexual abuse. STISA works to equip survivor support helplines with the technology, resources, and connections they need to help survivors secure the removal of non-consensual intimate images and prevent further revictimization.

Caroline Makumbe is a Child-centred design expert with over 23 years’ experience working at the intersection of children, technology and digital policy. Her work at Kutunga Design Academy & Innovation Lab advances safety-by-design approaches that put children at the centre of technology and innovation. Her work is deeply motivated by raising Gen Alpha children. She is committed to helping build digital experiences where children are safe, heard and able to thrive.