India and Germany Explore Energy-Efficient AI for Healthcare and Mental Wellness

India and Germany are exploring the use of more energy-efficient and responsible artificial intelligence in healthcare, with researchers from both countries meeting at IIT Delhi to discuss how AI can support medical care and mental wellness without adding unnecessary environmental costs.

A two-day Indo-German Bilateral Workshop on Green AI for Healthcare and Mental Wellness was held at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on September 3 and 4. The workshop brought together more than 30 experts and early-career researchers from India and Germany to discuss practical applications of AI in healthcare and the challenges involved in deploying such systems.

The event was sponsored by the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, a joint initiative of India’s Department of Science and Technology and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It was organised by Professor Tanmoy Chakraborty of IIT Delhi and Professor Iryna Gurevych of TU Darmstadt.

The discussions focused on a growing concern around the use of AI in healthcare: powerful systems can require significant computing resources, while healthcare itself needs technology that is affordable, reliable and accessible across different settings.

Instead of focusing only on larger AI models, researchers discussed Green AI, which aims to make AI systems more efficient in terms of computing power and energy use. The workshop also examined the potential of smaller language models and other efficient systems for healthcare and mental wellness applications.

Medical imaging was among the areas discussed, along with clinical decision support, mental health and multilingual healthcare. These applications could be particularly relevant in countries such as India, where healthcare services need to work across different languages, regions and levels of infrastructure.

Mental health was another important area of discussion. Researchers considered how AI could support mental healthcare while addressing concerns around privacy, clinical relevance and responsible use. Professor Iryna Gurevych highlighted the potential of smaller, privacy-preserving AI systems that can operate on devices and keep sensitive information closer to the user.

The workshop also looked at the technical, infrastructure, regulatory and ethical issues that could affect the adoption of AI in healthcare. Researchers stressed that an AI system used in a medical setting needs more than technical performance. It also needs appropriate clinical validation, responsible data practices and safeguards for patients.

Professor Tanmoy Chakraborty said the focus should move beyond developing increasingly large AI models towards systems that are efficient, sustainable, trustworthy and accessible.

The meeting is expected to support further cooperation between Indian and German researchers, clinicians and industry stakeholders. One of its objectives was to develop a roadmap for future joint research, innovation and capacity-building initiatives.

For healthcare, the conversation around AI is therefore expanding beyond what the technology can do. Energy use, privacy, affordability and accessibility are becoming part of the discussion as countries look at ways to bring AI into real-world medical and mental wellness services.

The Indo-German initiative highlights a possible direction for healthcare technology: AI that is not only capable, but also efficient enough to be used responsibly at scale.