The missing middle in India's net-zero ambition

PEOPLE WITH SKILLS IN BOTH AI & SUSTAINABILITY

- MANAV SUBODH

A FEW WEEKS ago, millions of us happily "ghiblified" our selfies using AI, turning them into dreamy animations straight out of a Miyazaki film. But the magic faded quickly when reports revealed the environmental cost behind each generated image. Even our casual "thank you" to an AI chatbot burns energy. Suddenly, AI didn't seem so invisible or innocent.

Every digital interaction leaves a carbon footprint. In a country racing toward net-zero, this raises a question few are asking: What does it mean to be a responsible digital citizen? And I'm not just talking about a future worker in the burgeoning green economy, but a citizen who understands that even digital joy rides come with ecological receipts.