Lost in Translation: Who Gets to Use AI in Their Own Words? | Kalika Bali | AI-Naama | E03

In this episode of AI-Naama, a podcast by Wadhwani AI, we are joined by Dr. Kalika Bali, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research India, to talk linguistic diversity and gender-aware AI in India. India has 22 scheduled languages and thousands of dialects — most without a single line of AI code written for them. Nishtha Gorke and Kalika unpack what it really takes to build inclusive tech: field stories from Gondi, Mundari, and Idu Mishmi, and why "gender-neutral" often just means gender-blind. 00:00 – Meet Kalika Bali 00:41 – Why "How Many Languages?" Is the Wrong Question 06:10 – Racing to Save Gondi, Mundari & Idu Mishmi 12:42 – Gender-Aware vs. Gender-Neutral AI 18:51 – Evolution of AI Research in India 23:24 – Balancing Research and Prototyping 28:05 – Conclusion 🎙️ A Wadhwani AI production. Follow Wadhwani AI: Website: wadhwaniai.org LinkedIn: in.linkedin.com/company/wadhwani-ai-2018 © 2026 Wadhwani AI. All rights reserved. #AI #LanguageTechnology #InclusiveAI #Podcast #WadhwaniAI