Data, AI, and Sri Lanka’s future: What challenges must be overcome for smarter tomorrow?

• "Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka": LIRNEasia hosts exclusive forum in Colombo

LIRNEasia hosted a forum on 7 December titled “Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka” at the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel, Colombo. 

The event brought together AI experts, data scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore practical ways to leverage data and artificial intelligence for informed decision-making and meaningful societal and organisational impact. 

The session featured several examples of successful and unsuccessful data projects from around the world, offering insights into practical challenges, best practices for initiating data projects, and the importance of addressing ethical concerns and trade-offs in data and AI initiatives.

LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva opened the session by highlighting the organisation’s ongoing work with AI and machine learning to address societal and policy issues. LIRNEasia Team Lead for Data, Algorithms and Policy Merl Chandana noted that while data is crucial for AI, its practical application can be challenging. He concluded by summarising the session’s focus: “Despite these challenges, interest in AI continues to grow due to its potential. This forum will explore how to effectively obtain and use data, the risks involved, and the importance of ethical and responsible data usage.”

In his keynote speech, School of Government and Public Transformation Director of Research and Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico Leader of the Artificial Intelligence for Public Value Initiative Dr. Adolfo De Unánue shared international examples. These included optimising logistics at Mexico’s Port of Veracruz and using AI to improve efficiency of criminal case resolutions. He emphasised that success requires more than data and technical skills, noting, “Clear goals and strong leadership are essential.”

Panel 1 was moderated by Moderator, LIRNEasia Team Lead for Data, Algorithms and Policy Merl Chandana. Panellists were School of Government and Public Transformation Director of Research and Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico Leader of the Artificial Intelligence for Public Value Initiative Dr. Adolfo De Unánue, Carnegie Mellon University Senior Project Scientist – Data Science and Public Policy Lab Dr. Kasun Amarasinghe, Dialog Finance Chief Data and Analytics Officer Yasith Fernando and Legal consultant and expert in data governance and data protection Ashwini Natesan.

The first panel drew on examples from both the public and private sectors to discuss how to ensure the success of data-driven projects while safeguarding lives and complying with regulations. Speakers highlighted the importance of understanding data and its underlying processes, building capacity, and starting with well-defined, concrete projects as organisations transition to becoming data driven.

The discussion also emphasised responsible data usage, focusing on balancing data protection with public benefit and expanding the conversation on ethics. An example of using electronic health records for improved disease screening illustrated key principles such as lawful processing, purpose limitation, and time-bound data retention. Speakers pointed out the possibility of working within existing data protection principles for publicly beneficial applications and highlighted awareness and capacity building as critical priorities for promoting responsible data use.

In his plenary speech before the second panel discussion, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala highlighted the transformative potential of data and AI in the energy sector. “Inadequate data storage and limited processing capabilities hinder quick response times in the energy sector,” he noted. Prof. Hemapala emphasised the need for an equitable energy transition, cautioning that its costs could disproportionately impact lower-income customers. He also outlined key challenges to AI-driven energy management, including issues with data quality and availability, real-time decision-making, cybersecurity risks, and regulatory barriers.

The second panel was moderated by LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva and featured Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala and Prof. Moinul Zaber from the United Nations University E-government Operating Unit, Portugal.

The second panel discussed how data and innovative approaches can transform the energy sector, especially in managing electricity use and improving efficiency. Moderator Prof. Rohan Samarajiva presented a hypothesis that poorer households often use less energy-efficient appliances, leading to higher costs. This formed the basis for LIRNEasia’s ongoing research on building a dataset on domestic electricity consumption.

Merl Chandana provided more details on the project, explaining that LIRNEasia has conducted observations and interviews with over 4,000 households in Sri Lanka to understand their energy expenses. The findings showed that poorer households spent more due to their reliance on inefficient appliances. The project combined smart meter data and surveys to build a comprehensive understanding of energy usage patterns, offering valuable insights into consumer behaviour.

Prof. Moinul Zaber from the United Nations University shared how data-driven strategies in Bangladesh helped address electricity challenges. By using data, energy providers reduced unnecessary movement during transformer repairs and improved grid reliability, enhancing service efficiency. Through data collection and analysis, providers discovered that payment delinquency was not solely linked to poverty but mainly due to the distance from payment centres. Introducing online and mobile payment systems significantly reduced delinquency. Additionally, a data-driven chatbot improved customer engagement by providing timely updates in Bangla, enhancing the overall customer experience. 

The panel underscored the importance of a collaborative approach, particularly between data scientists, social scientists, and policymakers, to navigate the challenges of data management and policy development in the energy sector. The forum concluded with a call for multistakeholder collaboration to address data governance challenges. 

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