Is data really the oil of our times?

 

Image generated using AI (OpenAI’s DALL·E), 2026

At a time when the ongoing Gulf conflict makes it painfully clear how important oil is to the world economy, it is perhaps a little off-colour to discuss whether data is all set to replace oil as the be-all and end-all of modern-day living. Clive Humbly, a British data scientist may have come up with the very catchy phrase “data is the new oil” years back, but has his hunch or prophecy come to fruition in the times of what appears to be a veritable AI revolution?

​Looking at the issue closely, things don’t quite seem to be entirely that way. The strain that even the suggestion of an oil supply squeeze puts on the world economy almost makes this discussion moot, but the fact remains that fossil fuels induced climate change and the geostrategic vulnerability that an oil-dependent world faces has made countries around the world, with the possible exception of Trump’s America, increasingly look at harnessing alternative sources of energy with dead seriousness. This ranges from wind and solar energy to geothermal power, nuclear energy and hydrogen fuel.

​Even the fossil fuel-rich Gulf nations are aware that the oil bonanza won’t last forever and have been investing huge sums of money in diversifying away from this hitherto lucrative, but increasingly less favoured source of cheap energy. Given that the world is moving towards a diversified energy regime comprising a myriad of resources, with each nation figuring out its own energy mix that best suits its needs and does not encourage excessive dependency on imported sources of energy, the era of oil dominance will inevitably end in the years ahead.

​This may not happen as fast as many would like, but the process is inexorably on. We may never get rid of oil completely as it is used in a very diverse range of industries, and not just as a primary source of energy. But it won’t be anywhere as important  and indispensable as it is now as a primary source of energy in a few decades from now.

​So what will replace it as the one resource that the entire world will love to have total control over? Many say it is data.

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Why is data important?

​Data is critically important in today's digital age because it allows you to optimally leverage the power of AI and Generative AI- technologies that promise to be the foundational cornerstone of the new age way of working and conducting a business or just about any form of organised activity. That is why a well-formulated data strategy is a necessary prerequisite for any business or organisation that hopes to do perform in an optimal fashion. Does that make data as important as oil, a commodity that nations have gone to war over? 

Given that data centres have been targeted in the ongoing Gulf war, it would seem that it is. Already, nations have moved to ensure that data pertaining to a country stays within their  borders. This quest for data localisation is driven by growing recognition of the fact that data sovereignty is a matter of national security. As a matter of fact, data is increasingly used by state and non-state actors to target competitors and rival nations by way of activities that range from digital espionage to using ransomware and malware to compromise and weaken their opponents. 

That vital infrastructure like power grids, communication networks and stock exchanges are all data driven, lends them to be vulnerable to malicious acts of sabotage by inimical forces. There are many who believe that data as a resource is more valuable than oil in that not only is it not finite like the latter, but it also grows both in volume and value after being processed. Besides, it is a vital fuel (pun intended) for any country’s digital ecosystem. Data’s importance as an enabler of the modern 21st century economy is, in fact more than that of oil.

​Data, one could already say, is right there at the top as a significant asset driving the modern economy. Its importance is not just on account of the fact that it plays a pivotal role in the adoption of AI, but also as an integral component of everything from production processes to logistics and online services. This makes data a crucial part of the value chain across industries.

​Data as a resource has indeed come into its own. Rather than comparing it with oil, nations around would do well to chart out a data strategy that would help them secure their strategic self interest in the best possible manner. Not doing so would cost them much more than what a temporary oil shortage or a hike in its price would. Data is fast becoming more than the oil of our times. It is, in fact, already the lifeblood of our times.

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Building India's Energy Security

Photo by Waldemar Brandt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/rusty-oil-barrels-stacked-3151717/

The ongoing Israeli-US war with Iran has drawn attention to India’s energy vulnerabilities like never before. Though it has ensured a steady supply of petrol, diesel, and kerosene thanks to some smart buying and leveraging its goodwill with the Americans, Russians and even Iranians, the shortfall in the supply of LPG cylinders did cause more than a measure of panic among many households and small businesses, especially in the restaurant and catering segments.

​For all of India’s demographic, economic and military heft, the fact that it imports 89% of its oil and 60% of its gas requirements, respectively, makes the country strategically hamstrung. What makes the situation worse is the fact that most oil and gas producing regions are prone to political and military volatility. The Middle East has always been one of the most potentially unstable areas of the world, with myriad unresolved issues simmering across nations. In this context, the current closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranian regime is a worst-nightmare- come-true scenario for the world oil economy.

If this wasn’t bad enough, the other major oil producer of the world, Russia, had already become a global pariah after its annexation of Crimea and the subsequent full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Buying oil from them attracts the risk of international sanctions and punitive tariffs in the Trumpian era. At the same time, diversifying one’s purchases and sourcing oil and gas from half a world away from the Americas does not seem to be a tenable long-term solution.

​With India meeting only about 15% of its oil requirements through domestic production which is less than the about 27%  in the case of China, its reliance on imports can prove to be its Achilles heel in the global geostrategic sweepstakes. Things are a lot better with regard to gas production, though, with India being able to meet 50% of its requirements via domestic production.

​India needs to work on building its energy security edifice so as to inure itself against global geostrategic pulls and pressures. If it is to achieve its destiny as a global power counted amongst the top three nations of the world, it needs to achieve 100 percent energy security like the US has.

​How to achieve 100% energy security?

​India can and should strive to achieve 100% energy security through a combination of measures. These include increasing domestic production of oil and gas by way of enhanced exploration, increased use of bio-fuels like ethanol and large-scale promotion of clean alternative sources of energy like solar, wind, thermal and green hydrogen. At the same time, nuclear energy should be turned to as a significant component of the Indian energy grid, as it is an efficient and relatively less polluting source of abundant energy. Given that India, like most large economies of the world, is committed towards drawing more and more energy from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar power, there should be enough provision of storing electricity to ensure a steady supply even when the sun has set or the wind is not blowing. A nationwide power inventory system needs to ensure that surplus power regions seamlessly transfer electricity to regions of deficit.

​Though India has abundant reserves of coal, which help it generate most of its electricity, transitioning to greener energy is in India’s interest, as climate change is a big issue impacting the nation’s future well-being. At the same time, the fact that these reserves exist acts as an effective hedge against any energy blackmail India might face in an era fraught with geopolitical tensions.

Given that a lot is set in store on battery power, especially in transportation, India should redouble its efforts to find new domestic sources of lithium and cobalt to help power this transition. Helping the nation achieve 100% energy security is a nation building activity in which the citizenry should be encouraged to build a stake. A great example of this is the rooftop solar installation drive, which allows lay people to contribute to the national security grid.

​100% energy security can be achieved by India if it gets into mission mode. This has something that has to be done if the long heralded India story is to finally see fruition.

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What is trending in AI in 2026?

 

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-white-robot-toy-8294606/

AI is dominating everybody’s consciousness in 2026 more than it did in 2025 and the year before that. With people fearing for their future livelihoods and technology behemoths salivating at the prospects of future super profits that make today’s immense earnings seem like peanuts, the world appears to be waiting with bated breath for something hugely extraordinary to occur and change their lives in ways they can’t even begin to imagine.

On the ground, however, AI is a work in progress that one is constantly told is revolutionising every aspect of human functioning, with not all that much to show for it. For all practical purposes, for the average person on the street, life is not really radically different from what it was five years ago. Sure, we have Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and others entertaining the world with their usual bag of tricks, but what we largely see is big talk and even bigger talk about the dawn of a new world order.

In the meantime, AI is apparently making its presence felt, but in incremental and measured steps. The practical roll-out of AI technology is happening all around us, and we would do well to have a handle on what exactly we are dealing with in the real world, instead of anticipating global doom or a tech billionaire’s utopia.  Let us do that by casting a look at what is trending in the AI universe in 2026.

1.      Autonomous AI Agents

One can expect autonomous AI agents powered by Agentic AI to carry out complex tasks like travel bookings, implementing marketing campaigns, managing workflows and coding autonomously rather than simply answering questions. This is going to bring about a paradigm change in the way people deploy AI. Companies, for instance, are increasingly using  multi-agent systems that are all about a number of AI agents working together to accomplish complex tasks. Think of them as always on-duty assistants capable of handling very long workflows over periods of time that can be extended at will.

2.      Multi-modal AI

Multi-model AI has come a long way and is expected to be one of the defining trends of 2026. The ability to process various types of data simultaneously (text, video, images, voice, and sensor data) has made it possible to come up with highly useful applications like real-time video analysis, high-quality video generation tools and AI assistants capable of seeing and hearing. In fact, generative videos are all set to change the paradigm of media productions as well as entertainment, on account of enhanced image generation with the help of text rendering.

3.      Domain Centric AI Models

The preponderance of large generic AI models is yielding place to smaller, more focused and super-efficient models primed to perform industry-specific tasks. These are cheaper to run and have found favour with industries like healthcare, finance, engineering and law. This trend is set to accelerate in 2026.

4.      Physical AI and Robotics Coming Into Its Own

We are rapidly moving into the real deployment of Physical AI or robots, moving on from research into real-world use. The year 2026 has seen the emergence of many humanoid robots, as is evident in the demos by many companies. Boston Dynamics, for example, showcased its electric Atlas and informed the world about its partnership with Google DeepMind that seeks to bring about an integration with Gemini Robotics models. Tesla, for its part, intends to scale up Optimus, intending to enhance production going forward. Robotics is slated to have its day in the sun and become the cynosure of all eyes in 2026.

5.      Focus on AI Security

With AI becoming all-pervasive across industries, the focus is definitely on security in 2026. AI agents being able to access personal data has made it imperative to protect it.  The security of the platforms that one is using has to be foolproof before an organisation goes ahead and shares critical information with them. Special care needs to be taken to ensure that no actions are initiated without express approval. Another way that AI can help strengthen security is to provide better analytics that allow one to pick out trends with regard to incident report data.

6.      More Comprehensive AI Regulation

There has never been any set of technologies that has been as equally anticipated and feared as AI, and with good reason.  AI is simply too powerful a technology to be left unregulated. Unregulated AI can lead to a host of problems in the shape of manipulated data, compromised privacy, and the dissemination of false information. It is no longer enough to have a set of guidelines to prevent AI misuse. One can expect the rules to be enforced with more vigour going forward.

Summary

While AI is amongst the most discussed subjects in the world these days, there is a lot of uncertainty and even anxiety arising due to the unprecedented increase in its adoption across industries. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, and nowhere does this adage apply more aptly than in the context of the AI revolution that the world is currently undergoing. The AI trends of 2026 will decide what shape the changes being brought about will take and how these will impact industry, businesses and society in the near future and beyond. It pays to be aware of how AI is reshaping the very nature of human existence at a pace that is both breathtaking and sometimes frightening. It is in our own self-interest not to fear AI, but understand it and learn how to leverage it to our best advantage.

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Can data centres fuel the new Indian IT boom?

Photo by panumas nikhomkhai: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-mining-rig-1148820/

According to leading management consultancy firm Deloitte, India is slated to corner a big chunk of the data centre growth and expansion happening in the APAC region, which is expected to garner an investment of $800 billion by 2030.Viewed against the challenges faced by the Indian IT sector on account of  emergent AI technologies threatening to wipe out traditional avenues of revenue generation, shifting focus to becoming a data centre power house might yet resuscitate the once mighty Indian technology sector, which has suddenly started looking very fragile indeed.

​India ostensibly has everything that is required to help it make one of the leading data centre hubs in the world. From low infrastructure and manpower costs to active government support, it apparently has things neatly lined up to help it do just that. But given the existing power situation in the country and the excessive reliance on coal-generated electricity, there are many challenges to be overcome in order to get there. These include straining the water resources available in the country, which are already under intense pressure to cater to the needs of nearly a billion and a half people. Land acquisition and the creation of a suitably skilled workforce are other major challenges that need to be addressed.

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Data Centres- The Only Path Ahead for the Indian IT Sector?

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The IT sector is one of the few success stories that the country has seen with regard to providing a well paying career path to millions of Indian youth this century. Apart from the technically qualified who take up jobs in this sector, there is an even larger number of people who find indirect employment working as security staff, drivers, real estate managers and canteen personnel.

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The impending wind-down of the IT sector puts millions of livelihoods at stake, which makes it imperative that the opportunity afforded by the likely emergence of data centres as a major growth area acts as a godsend. Worldwide, the massive growth of cutting edge technologies like AI, 5G, cloud computing, and the IoT has led to an enormous surge in the demand for data storage, thereby making data centres a vitally critical component of the upcoming and emerging technology eco-systems. Besides, data centres are also required to help manage the data as well as processing needs of the high-growth sectors like finance, e-commerce, healthcare, gaming and a host of other industries that rely on dependable digital support in the shape of world class data centres.

​In lieu of this, India is seeking to vastly enhance its data centre capacity in 2026 and the subsequent years leading up to 2030, by which time a large number of big data centre hubs would have become operational. It is heartening to note that an investment commitment of more than a  $100 billion dollars is expected to be achieved by 2027. As a matter of fact, it is raining investments in India, when it comes to major Indian and international business groups' interest in helping grow thedata centre sector. From the home grown Adani group looking at investing $100 billion towards developing hyperscale AI-ready data centres over the next decade to US technology behemoths like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others deciding to invest as much as 67.5 billon in the Indian data centre space, there does seem to be a momentum towards building data centres up as the next big thing to happen to the Indian IT space.

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Can focusing on data centres move India down the IT value chain?

For all those tom tomming the impending rise of India as a major global data centre hub, there is a contrary school of thought which fears that this could possibly move the Indian industry down the IT value chain. It suggests that rather than be known for low end server farms, India should stride ahead with a focus on creating world class SaaS products, designing chips and building cutting edge new age AI models.

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Conclusion

Despite the misgivings of a few, the overriding consensus is that data centre growth augurs well for the Indian IT industry as it helps lay the foundation for the accelerated growth and adoption of AI and Cloud technologies across the world. Global management consultancy firm KPMG believes India is witnessing a data centre revolution that is helping achieve the trillion dollar digital economy dream of the country.

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They hold that it makes eminent sense for a nation that boasts the largest and  most data intensive mobile user numbers in the world to work on expanding data centre capacity expansion on an unprecedented scale. Besides, the rapid and massive growth and adoption of AI have necessitated that data centre growth in the country be encouraged in every possible manner. Doing so also helps protect data sovereignty, something to which the government is fully committed.

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That India is well on its way to becoming a major global data centre hub is borne out by S&P Global Commodity Insights estimates which expect  the nation to likely become the second largest consumer of data centre electricity in the Asia Pacific region over the next two years, exceeding such demand by Singapore and Australia. 

Clearly, the data centre story has just begun in India.

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Whither AI?

Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-delivert-robots-8566569/

AI is going to have,  without the shadow of  the slightest doubt, the most profound impact on human destiny since the time that people first learned to harness fire and invent the wheel. The fact that AI is on the cusp of thinking and making decisions entirely on its own without any human supervision or direction means that the future of human life on Earth will unfold in ways that we cannot even begin to fathom.

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The blurring of distinction between breathing and thinking living beings that humans are and machines devoid of life and emotion by allowing the latter to exercise judgment on behalf of the former poses a philosophical dilemma that has never confronted humanity before. We don’t know how AI thought, developing independently of human impulses, will evolve. What impact will it have on art, culture, morality and indeed human morality?

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The immediate fear that most people have on account of the dawn of the age of AI is of a loss of employment, particularly the white-collar kind. From coders and writers to doctors, teachers and researchers, everyone fears redundancy when pitted  against super efficient, remorseless thinking machines capable of easily outperforming them.

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The fear of new technology is one that humans have dealt with since the earliest times. Every new discovery and innovation has caused trepidation, nervousness, and fear amongst those who worried that the new way of doing things would impact the old one they were used to. Everything from the invention of the wheel and the harnessing of energy to mechanised transport and flying was met with fear and resistance. The fact that it all worked out well eventually often hides the immense fear, heartbreak and indeed the destruction of a certain way of life it accompanies. But in the eventual yardstick of what is seen as human progress, the emergence and adoption of new technology seems to have done more good than harm to human existence.

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Where AI promises to be different is in the fact that it may take away the decision making power of human beings by moving away from under their authority and developing agency of its own. To that extent, its further evolution and its impact on human destiny is as unknown as it would be if the aliens took over planet Earth one day. Where is AI taking us?

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Is Zero-Waste Living Possible?

 

                                                  Photo by Tom Fisk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bird-s-eye-view-of-landfill-317434

The consumption-heavy growth-at-all cost model that humans have been following for a few centuries now has made matters come to a head with the planet drowning in its own waste. We have defiled the very air we breathe and the water we need for sustenance. Land has been contaminated with poison in the shape of pesticides and disfigured and utterly damaged by mining, construction and the cutting of forests. This has resulted in what we know as the global climate crisis with its attendant problems in the shape of more frequent flooding, heat waves of increasing intensity, unprecedentedly large forest fires and the outbreak of disease and as we recently witnessed, a global pandemic.

One of the major problems associated with environmental degradation and pollution is the appallingly high level of waste generated on account of the way we mass-produce and consume goods, regardless of whether we need them or not. This might make economic growth figures look good, but the mountains of waste which we are unable to dispose of in an environmentally friendly manner that result on account of this, take our planet inexorably towards its doom.

For instance, electricity, which is the engine of the modern way of life, is generated largely by burning fossil fuels or by building environmentally damaging dams that help produce hydro power. Nuclear energy, for its part, comes with the risk of radioactive contamination. In fact, most modern industrial and business activity adds to the problem of waste creation not just on Earth but in space as well, which is increasingly getting clogged with innumerable communication satellites.

There is waste everywhere-in our seas and oceans, deserts and mountains, as well as our cities, towns, villages and islands. We are literally drowning in waste, but are not aware of it, as it hasn’t reached over our heads yet, at least figuratively. This situation, as one might imagine, is simply not tenable, and we need to do something about it right away. Something like living the zero-waste life. Quite radical, you would say-but is zero- waste living even possible?

The Zero Waste Living Approach

Zero waste living may not be something which is practically possible, as the very process of living creates waste in some form of the other, but the zero-waste living approach is something that can help the human race save themselves and the planet they live in from impending ruination. As a matter of fact, the zero-waste approach has become a worldwide movement that has helped more and more people understand what is at stake in this epic battle against waste that threatens the future of all life on earth. They have come to understand that they can adopt a zero-waste centred lifestyle by making mindful and intentional choices that help substantially reduce, if not eliminate, waste from most, if not all, aspects of life.

Here’s how you can approach a zero-waste approach to your life and help save your world as part of a global movement geared towards getting rid of most waste.

Learn to say no

The bane of modern living is that we have far more than we need. Instead of having to hunt for food or forage for it on the forest floor as our ancestors did, we just need to walk to the refrigerator and choose from a bewildering assortment of packaged food that is terrible for our health. Say no to that and try to source fresh food that you can yourself proceed to cook- far healthier and produces less waste too.  Say no, also, to the abomination that is quick or fast fashion and take to wearing durable clothing that lasts for a long time. There are so many other things you can say no to. Like not driving in your car to your place of work and using public transport or riding a cycle instead. If you make a list of things you could say no to, you will discover that it is a very long one indeed.

Consume less

We could all consume a lot less than we do and reduce the awful burden we place on our planet by way of the extraction of scarce resources. It is not for nothing that gluttony and lust were counted amongst the deadliest of sins. Our forebears were on to something elemental about ensuring human survival, which we have clearly lost sight of, given that people in positions of power and authority who should know better go on and on about increasing growth, never mind if that is a one way ticket to oblivion.

We consume too much food, buy more clothes than we need, travel more than we need to and consume way more energy than we need to. This amounts to living on debt and imagining that the bill will never come. Not only are the bills coming in thick and fast, but they are coming with heavy interest and penalties.

Reuse

The use and throw culture which is supposed to deliver convenience, but is really serving the needs of rapacious business houses threatens to thoroughly make the environment increasingly unconducive to all forms of life including our own. One of the best ways to fight this is by taking to reusing everything from clothes and electronic gadgets to water bottles and utensils. One should mend, stitch, darn and repair whatever we can and use it for the longest time.  It’s heartening in this regard that Gen Z finds shopping at thrift stores both fashionable and economical. That is the way to go, and the older folks would do well to take a leaf from their book.

Recycle

Recycling products that have outlived their utility is one of the best ways of tackling the problems of dealing with the gargantuan amounts of waste generated by human activity. Doing so has two benefits- that of dealing with waste in an environment-friendly manner and contributing to the economy by using waste as raw material for all-new products. Examples of recycling waste are numerous. These range from using waste water from homes for watering plants, refashioning plastic straws as footwear, storing spices, buttons, coins and nails in glass containers instead of plastic ones, composting kitchen waste and using it as fertilizer for plants, and using refill jars and bottles for shampoos, detergents and hand wash. Similarly, donating old clothes or repurposing them as bags and repairing old gadgets instead of outright replacing them is something that you can incorporate into your way of life.

Choosing the sustainable lifestyle

The zero waste approach to life is basically following a sustainable lifestyle. This is in stark contrast to the ultra-consumerist approach to life that has been heralded as normal over the centuries leading up to the planetary level disaster that stares us all in the face. Nature has its own cycle of growth, decay and renewal, and we are meant to adhere to its timeline. If we don’t, we ultimately risk our own annihilation, for as surely as the sun rises every day, nature will destroy us and replace us with something else. So, if we don’t want to go the way of the dinosaurs, we need to realign and reimagine the way we live, and zero-waste living is the way to do that.

 

 

Can AI be used to resolve India’s AQI crisis?

 

Photo by Landiva Weber

India’s AQI crisis sees no signs of abating. All across northern India, the winter season sees the AQI stay in the very hazardous category for months together across the big cities, small towns, and even villages of North India. AQI readings above 400 are routine, and one has come to regard a 150 AQI, which constitutes the poor category, as pretty much normal and par for the course. The fact that the high AQI levels have started getting reported from the sylvan hill towns nestled in the verdant Himalayas has shown that the AQI crisis threatens normal life across the length and breadth of North India and even beyond. For most of the harsh North Indian winter, even a satisfactory AQI of about 100 has become a pipe dream. How sick and pathetic is that?

Clean air and water are basic necessities provided in abundance by nature, but the quest for rapid growth and development by a nation of a billion and a half people that aspires to be counted amongst the prosperous nations of the world has led to the defilement of the very air and water that ensure that they live long and healthy lives. The farmers who ensure food security for this vast nation cause a great deal of pollution by their annual stubble burning projects, and the ongoing massive infrastructure development projects necessary for taking the economy to the next level also exacerbate the air pollution problem.

 Aware of the severe consequences of the short term and long term consequences of breathing highly polluted air, the government and the authorities in question try various means and methods to rein in the pollution. From restrictions placed on the movement of vehicles to phasing out of old and polluting cars to banning construction whenever the AQI levels become very high, spraying water droplets into the air, and even trying to create artificial rain, nothing seems to work.

Can we not turn to AI-which is purported to change the very nature of the way human beings will live their lives in the times ahead, to stem the rot and come to our rescue?

AI to the rescue?

The various pollution fighting measures presently put in place seem largely reactive and don’t seem to be part of a pre-planned, integrated process that could fight the menace in a holistic manner.  The recent failed attempt to create artificial rain over the national capital region with the view to bringing down air pollution is emblematic of this ham-handed approach to a crisis that shows not the slightest signs of abating.

AI, with its outstanding predictive abilities, can be of great help in how we interact with and manage the environment. It can be put to great use in analyzing all the necessary data about where pollution originates and the likely times and regions it is likely to peak. This can help the government and authorities to plan ahead to combat the threat in the most effective manner possible.

AI’s ability to study everything from satellite data and information sourced from various low-cost sensors to weather and emission data can help obtain precise street level pollution updates, instead of city averages empowering authorities to attempt to provide solutions at ground zero, making them far more effective than sweeping city wide solutions. Besides, AI can help in making citizens sensitive to the prevailing AQI levels in their localities with the help of apps allowing them to take actions like staying indoors or wearing masks when venturing outside.

AI’s greatest contribution in the fight against high AQI levels would be in coming up with holistic strategies to bring down and eliminate the causes of air pollution, rather than helping deal with its side effects. With the strides AI technology is making and the possibility of its making the best possible decisions on behalf of mankind, independent of human supervision, in the very near future, it is quite possible that it will present us with a growth and development model that does not lead to life-threatening air pollution, even in a country as populous as India.