Breaking Digital Barriers: An Indian Woman's AI Journey

Sometimes as I await the image generations running on my PC to complete, I can't help but smile thinking about the past. Remember those early internet days when putting a picture online felt like breaking a rule? "Beta, internet pe photo mat daalna!" Those words, wrapped in parental concern, now make me chuckle as I watch the same elders take elaborate WhatsApp video calls from friends and relatives.

Today, we're at a similar crossroads with Artificial Intelligence. The same whispers of apprehension echo through middle-class homes across India. "Deepfake se kya hoga?", "Robots le lenge sabki naukri!", "Isn't it too complicated?" As a woman who chose to learn the applications of AI independently, I recognize these barriers– they were once mine too.

I understand such resistance is more deep-rooted than the fear that appears on the surface. We middle-class Indians carry our hesitations like inherited jewelry – precious, heavy with tradition, passed down with care. We're the ones who read terms and conditions completely, who save password recovery emails in multiple folders. Our caution isn't weakness; it's generational wisdom distilled through experiences. "Better safe than sorry," my father always says, his words carrying the weight of a lifetime of careful choices. Yet, sometimes the bravest thing we can do is to step beyond these familiar boundaries and embrace change!

The turning point in my journey came when I started seeing news headlines about deep fake videos of actresses flooding social media, and countless stories of women being targeted through manipulated, AI-generated content. The message these stories wanted to drive through was simple: the digital world isn't safe for us! But I felt we had two choices: either retreat into our safety shells or advance towards understanding what others were using like a weapon. The comfortable choice was clear, the necessary choice was different. I chose the latter.

It's easier to admit than to explain: back when I had started, I did not even know how to install CUDA drivers or Git clone a repository! My transformation began with clumsy clicks through YouTube tutorials at 2 AM. Unknown, foreign Youtubers became my new gurus! Slowly, however, their content started to make some sense and I was drowned in endless playlists. Not exaggerating at all when I say this: every new AI tool that I discovered and learnt felt like unlocking a new superpower! Yes, there were frustrations – python programs crashing (ChatGPT helped solve many of these), incompatibility issues , concepts refusing to make sense (I posted questions to multiple people on multiple Discord channels to get things working!), and moments of self-doubt that echoed those cautionary voices. But with each small victory, the digital world felt less alien, more like home.

Today, I create with AI – not just art, but possibilities. When worried aunties forward cautionary tales about technology, I share stories of protection, of empowerment. Knowledge, I've discovered, transforms from a shield into wings.

Here's what textbooks don't teach: technology doesn't just change what we can do; it changes who we can become. Our government support this with initiatives like Digital India and Make in India – but the real revolution begins in our minds, when we decide to transform from spectators to creators.

To you, reading this in your corner of India – perhaps while juggling work calls or between chai breaks – I see you! That hesitation you feel? I felt it too. That voice saying "ye humare liye nahi hai"? I heard it too. But here's the truth: AI doesn't care about your background, your gender, or how many degrees you have. It only cares about your willingness to learn.

Look how we conquered WhatsApp, how we made UPI our own. Each technology that once seemed alien now feels like home. AI is waiting for the same transformation.

I'm not extraordinary – just a middle-class Indian woman who decided her dreams were bigger than her fears. If I could journey from AI-anxious to AI-empowered while keeping my values intact, so can you.

The digital revolution is calling, and this time, India shouldn't just participate – we should lead. Because when we overcome our fears together, we don't just progress as individuals; we evolve as a nation.