We’re excited to be highlighted in the Datasphere Initiative’s landmark report, Sandboxes for DPI: Co-creating the blocks of digital trust, launched at the India AI Impact Summit.
This groundbreaking global analysis maps 16 DPI sandbox initiatives (14 national and 2 multi-country), offers the first formal definition of a “DPI Sandbox,” and builds on the Datasphere’s influential 2022 Sandboxes for Data report, advancing global understanding of how trusted digital infrastructure can be tested and delivered responsibly.
The report’s core message resonates deeply at NayaOne: the shift toward upstream operational sandboxes is essential for stress-testing foundational Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) layers – like digital identity, payments interoperability, data exchange, and AI integrations – before large-scale deployment. In high-stakes environments, early experimentation prevents costly failures and embeds privacy, equity, security, and social legitimacy from the outset.
What Are DPI Sandboxes?
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) sandboxes serve as controlled “laboratories for trust,” enabling governments, developers, civil society, and communities to prototype and iterate on core infrastructure in real-world-like conditions. Highlights include:
- Emphasis on operational upstream testing over post-deployment fixes.
- Critical focus on the AI-DPI nexus: Sandboxes validate AI-enabled features (e.g., fraud detection, biometric matching, multilingual interfaces) under institutional oversight, ensuring safeguards hold in diverse contexts.
- Recognition that in resource-constrained regions, the cost of technology failure is too high - upstream sandboxes build inclusion and legitimacy into the architecture.
NayaOne’s Alignment: Powering Upstream Testing for Responsible DPI
NayaOne-powered digital sandbox initiatives (including collaborative API standards development and AI-powered DPI prototyping in regulated environments) underscore the power of multi-stakeholder, upstream testing to embed safeguards from day one.
This approach enables secure, controlled experimentation – leveraging synthetic data, instant integrations, and governance guardrails – to identify privacy, equity, and security risks early, while fostering inclusive co-creation across governments, regulators, developers, and communities.
By prototyping foundational DPI layers (like identity verification, payments interoperability, and AI-driven fraud detection) in isolated environments before public rollout, NayaOne helps reduce integration risks, build social legitimacy, and accelerate responsible scaling – particularly valuable in high-stakes contexts where deployment failures could undermine public trust.
Our contributions, as referenced in broader discussions around sandboxing for AI and emerging DPI ecosystems, align with the Datasphere Initiative’s emphasis on operational, upstream models to move from policy theory to evidence-based, real-world governance.
Why This Matters for the Future of DPI
Traditional approaches often fix issues after millions are affected – sandboxes flip that script. They deliver:
- Early risk identification and mitigation.
- Evidence-based policymaking and governance capacity building.
- Faster iteration with stakeholders for truly inclusive outcomes.
- Controlled validation of AI integrations to prevent unintended harms.
Looking Ahead: From Mapping to Action
The report is more than a mapping – it’s a blueprint for co-creating trustworthy digital futures. We commend the Datasphere Initiative, UNDP, Kalpa Impact, and partners for driving this forward.
Read the full report and announcement here.
At NayaOne, we’re committed to powering the secure experimentation that makes responsible DPI a reality. How are you thinking about sandboxes in your DPI or innovation work? Reach out – we’d love to connect and collaborate.
