The new era of sustainability: With Senior Forrester Analyst Abhijit Sunil

In this episode of Catalyst, Tammy sits down with Abhijit Sunil, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research. Abhijit leads three flagship research programs focused on sustainability and climate risk. He brings a unique and refreshingly human perspective to the AI conversation, backed by deep engineering expertise and personal experience. Tammy and Abhijit dive into the connection between sustainability and optimization, AI as a force for good and finding the middle path in a polarized world.

Highlights from the episode include:

• Optimization is sustainability. Abhijit argues that optimizing any system for efficiency is, by definition, making it more sustainable. His approach doesn’t treat sustainability as a separate initiative that’s divorced from the day-to-day business. By making systems more efficient, organizations can grow their capacity without growing their energy consumption.
• AI as a democratizing force. While much of the AI conversation is focused on enterprise productivity and cost savings, Abhijit sees another side to the technology. He shares a story about a girl he taught in a Mumbai slum school who was about to drop out to support her family. She had no accurate information about her options and no one to ask. AI could have changed everything for her, offering answers and guidance in her own language, with no gatekeepers.
• Six shades of belief, not two. Drawing on a Yale study about climate belief systems, Abhijit pushes back on the idea that people are either climate believers or skeptics. There are many in-between positions and sustainability strategies must meet people where they are. Small, incremental changes can move the needle without triggering resistance.

Check out the full episode to hear more about Abhijit's blog "Mean Deviations," his ongoing work mentoring young entrepreneurs and why Goldilocks had it right all along.

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Please note that the views expressed in this episode may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.