Asian Journal of Advances in Research

Artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping behavioural interventions for environmental sustainability by enabling real-time feedback, predictive segmentation, personalised defaults, recommender systems and adaptive social-norm messages. In India, however, the promise of AI-driven green nudges is inseparable from a trust paradox. Trust is necessary for citizens and consumers to accept algorithmic guidance, share data and perceive environmental interventions as legitimate; yet excessive, poorly calibrated or institutionally fragile trust can expose users to manipulation, privacy loss, algorithmic bias, distributive unfairness and resentment against paternalistic steering. This critical review examines how socio-cultural sensitivity can mediate the efficacy of AI-driven green nudges in the Indian context. Drawing on behavioural economics, environmental psychology, human–AI interaction, green consumer research, digital nudging and cultural cognition, the article argues that green nudges cannot be treated as culturally neutral choice architectures. Their effectiveness depends on whether they are intelligible, locally meaningful, linguistically accessible, economically fair, transparent, privacy-preserving and aligned with India’s plural social norms, uneven digital access and diverse consumption aspirations. The review proposes a culturally calibrated model in which socio-cultural sensitivity mediates the relationship between AI-enabled nudge design and pro-environmental outcomes through five mechanisms: trust calibration, perceived legitimacy, contextual relevance, autonomy protection and distributive fairness. The article concludes that AI-driven green nudges should be evaluated not merely by short-term behavioural shifts but by their capacity to sustain environmentally beneficial action without eroding agency, dignity or public confidence.