This roundtable, held at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in collaboration with data.org, examined how data and AI can strengthen climate planning systems. As part of the discussion, we presented findings from a neighbourhood-level heat stress study we conducted in New Delhi in partnership with data.org, mapping variations in heat exposure, energy demand, and productivity impacts across urban communities.
A panel discussion moderated by Priyank Hirani, Director of Capacity Building at data.org featured Dr Srikanta K. Panigrahi, Director General at Indian Institute of Sustainable Development, Srinivas Krishnaswamy, Founder of Vasudha Foundation, Swetha Ravi Kumar, Executive Director at FSR Global and Dr. Priya Donti, Assistant Professor at MIT and co-founder of Climate Change AI.
The conversation moved from analysis to application, examining how such evidence can inform heat action plans, strengthen public health responses, and improve electricity grid management. A shared takeaway was the importance of diagnostics: when granular climate data is embedded into planning and decision-making systems, it evolves from being a research tool to becoming core public infrastructure.
