Prof. Ashok Kumar Das and Dr. Ravi Kiran Sarvadevabhatla participated in the prestigious World Laureates Summit (WLS 2026), held in Dubai, UAE, from 1 – 3 February. The event was jointly organized with the World Government Summit (WGS 2026).
Dr. Ashok Kumar Das participated and was a panel member at the prestigious World Laureates Summit (WLS 2026), held in Dubai, UAE, from 1–3 February. The event was jointly organized with the World Government Summit (WGS 2026). During the workshop Dr. Ashok Kumar Das got an opportunity to engage in discussions with renowned ACM Turing Award Fellows Prof. Martin Hellman and Prof. Whitfield Diffie, the pioneering cryptographers behind the Diffie–Hellman Key Exchange Protocol, which revolutionized public-key cryptography and secure communication over public channels.
On 2 February Dr. Ashok Kumar Das participated in a panel discussion on Blockchain × Science Forum — Science in the Web3 Era: Foundations and Opportunities. The other panelists were Sabina Liu, Managing Director, KuCoin EU (KuCoin) and W Scott Stornetta, CEO, SureMark. The discussion was moderated by Sabina Liu, Managing Director, KuCoin EU (KuCoin). The discussion explored several timely and thought-provoking themes –
The Logic of Coexistence: Digital Assets vs. Sovereign Monies
- The role of digital reserve assets (Bitcoin, stablecoins) in relation to monetary sovereignty
- Reconciling permissionless blockchain systems with sovereign legal frameworks
From the Cost of Trust to the Engine of Prosperity
- Transforming data integrity and timestamping into economic value amid AI-generated content and deepfakes
- Reducing the cost of trust through algorithmic optimization for inclusive global collaboration
The Paradox of Privacy and Security under Sovereign Anchors
- Achieving sovereign-grade security through cryptography while preserving individual privacy
Beyond 2026: The Convergence of Physical Intelligence and DeSci
- Blockchain as a trust bridge between the physical world (IoT, robotics, sensors) and digital intelligence (AI, large models)
Dr. Ravi Kiran Sarvadevabhatla gave a keynote lecture at the Young Scientists Forum on Embodied Intelligence. In the closing of my talk, he drew a parallel between modern ideas of embodied, goal-discovering intelligence and an ancient Indic insight — śarīramādyam khalu dharma-sādhanam — highlighting the role of purposeful action and interaction with the world.
Dr. Ravi Kiran Sarvadevabhatla also participated in a closed-door discussion with the Minister of AI, UAE and his team, where they had an open exchange on nation-focused AI development, the importance of sovereign technology, and long-term capability building. During the discussion Dr. Sarvadevabhatla mentioned the ongoing efforts at BharatGen in this context. The session also included fellow Indian faculty from premier institutions.
The summit was intellectually enriching, with active engagement from an audience that included Nobel Laureates and ACM Turing Award Fellows.
WLS 2026 – https://www.wlasummit.org/
February 2026