Talks & Media
Selected Media
AI and large language models
AI Regulation Was Coming. Then Trump Killed It.
The Lever — September 24, 2026
On what federal regulators lost when the 2024 frontier-model reporting rule was withdrawn, and the absence of any general rule requiring developers to report what they are building, how it is secured, and what unexpected behavior they see.
Worries about an AI internet takeover gain new urgency among doomsday scenarios
Associated Press — September 23, 2026
On the Hugging Face incident as a matter of reward design and lax sandbox security rather than evidence of autonomous intent.
Donald Trump is ushering in an AI takeover. It has Americans fearing a Terminator-like dystopia
The Independent — September 22, 2026
On recursive self-improvement and the boundary between the digital and physical worlds, capability versus authority, and why misuse and poor security are the more immediate risks.
How AI Doomsday Talk Is Making Tech Giants More Powerful, Not Safer
CNET — September 17, 2026
On the institutional feedback loop, and how extinction rhetoric can turn AI labs into regulatory custodians.
AI Risks Drive Calls For Stronger Controls
StratNews Global — September 15, 2026 (with inputs from Reuters)
On overstated superintelligence timelines, embedded and third-party auditors, and cybersecurity expertise inside labs.
Columbia Experts Urge Calm Amid AI Panic
Columbia Engineering — September 14, 2026
Q&A with Suman Jana on agent security, extinction claims, open models, and compute access.
A Backlash Against Anthropic Is Brewing in Silicon Valley
The Wall Street Journal — July 2026
On security and risk claims that do not hold up to scrutiny, and public fear as regulatory leverage.
ChatGPT now has a space for sharing medical records. Should you?
CBS News — July 25, 2026
On the privacy implications of sharing health information with AI systems.
The AI Price War Is Here, Piling Pressure on OpenAI and Anthropic
The Wall Street Journal — June 2026
On capable open models shrinking the premium frontier providers can charge.
How smart people in tech are reacting to Matt Shumer’s viral essay about what AI means for jobs
Business Insider — February 13, 2026
On apparent self-preservation in models, training incentives, and AI and jobs.
What’s AGI, and Why Are AI Experts Skeptical?
WIRED — April 20, 2023
On building an early GPT-3 search tool for ESPNcricinfo, and skepticism about general intelligence.
Net neutrality and internet economics
India’s Battle for Free Internet
R.S. Sharma (LinkedIn) — August 6, 2026
The chairman of TRAI through the Free Basics debate, on how the decision was reached and which definition of net neutrality it followed.
The FCC voted to scrap net neutrality rules. Smaller, independent websites could take a big hit.
The World (PRX) — December 19, 2017
On who ends up paying once paid prioritization is allowed.
The best business models for offering free Internet
The Hindu — October 18, 2016
Analysing the three models in TRAI’s consultation paper on free data.
‘Rewards model seems best to offer free data’
The Hindu — October 18, 2016
On why the rewards model is non-discriminatory but open to abuse.
As providers roll out zero-rated services, it’s time to re-define net neutrality
Columbia Computer Science — 2016
The definition of net neutrality that TRAI’s rules on differential pricing followed.
Vishal Misra goes before Indian Parliament Committee to present views on net neutrality
Columbia Computer Science — 2015
Will the FCC’s vote ensure an open Internet? An interview with Vishal Misra
Columbia Computer Science — 2015
On whether competition does more than regulation to keep the Internet open.
Net neutrality is all good and fine; the real problem is elsewhere
Columbia Computer Science — 2014
On two papers reprinted in the IEEE special issue on net neutrality, and the public-option ISP.
Profiles & Interviews
Fifteen Months Before ChatGPT
Executive Indian — August 30, 2026
Profile on shipping a GPT-3 product into production in 2021, and building the theory afterwards.
Drafting the Blueprint for AI at Columbia Engineering
Columbia Engineering Magazine — Winter 2025
Conversation with Dean Shih-Fu Chang on AI research, infrastructure, and education.
Chatting about AI with our New Vice Dean of AI and Computing
Columbia AI — March 2024
Interview on the new vice dean role, teaching, research, and ethics.
What Should We Expect From ChatGPT?
Columbia Computer Science — 2023
Faculty perspectives on what the technology can do and how to use it well.
Facebook has a history of being non-transparent
Governance Now — January 6, 2016
Interview during the Free Basics debate, on transparency and differential pricing.
Podcasts
The Vishal Misra Files
Cricket with an Accent — March 12, 2024 · 58 min
On Cricinfo, live scoring, Statsguru, and why cricket statistics need context.
Explainers
Talks
Recent panels and invited talks
India Global Forum, NXT25, Mumbai, 2025
Chair, “AI Regulations in India: Balancing Innovation, Accountability, and Governance.” Panel, “In Conversation: Voice, Vernacular, Vision.”
Mumbai Tech Week, Mumbai, February 2025
Panels: “Sports & AI” and “Innovating with AI: Lessons from the Valley.”
Deployable AI Workshop, AAAI 2025, March 2025
Invited speaker and panelist.
AI is Here. What Lies Ahead?, Columbia University, March 2025
Moderator of the opening session, and led “The Columbia Class of 2035: Will We Need To Reinvent Higher Education?”
KLA Engineering Conference, Half Moon Bay, October 2024
Invited talk.
Networking Channel (online), September 2024
Invited talk.
IIT Bombay, August 2024
Invited talk.
HP Labs, Palo Alto, June 2024
Invited talk.
MASCOTS Keynote, Stony Brook, September 2023
“From Self-Similarity to LLMs: A Journey with Markov Models.”
Writing
Essays on Medium
2026
Neither a Civilization Nor a Toaster
— Aug 2026
Where Is Gavaskar?
— Aug 2026
Taste Has No Denominator
— Aug 2026
India chose the whole Internet
— Aug 2026
The Verifier Bottleneck
— Aug 2026
After the Proof
— Aug 2026
Not Out Is the Skill
— Jun 2026
A Proof Is a Long Multiplication
— May 2026
The Wall Between Shannon and Kolmogorov
— Mar 2026
2025
Attention Is Bayesian Inference
— Dec 2025
The Unspoken Thesis
— Dec 2025
How I Became the First Linux User in India
— Jul 2025
Op-eds
Indian regulators lead in upholding net neutrality
— The Hindu, February 09, 2016
A Lucky Accident: net neutrality changed the world for the better, let’s keep it that way
— The Times of India, Aug 31, 2015 (print)
Net Neutrality: Misconceptions and Misdirections
— MediaNama, Apr 2015
Older blogs
Peer Unreviewed — Academic blog
A Little Corner of a Foreign Field — Personal blog