Can AI Help End India’s Animal Cruelty Crisis? These Young Coders Think So

Every few days, a new video or news report reveals the cracks in India's relationship with its animals – a street dog beaten in Bengaluru, wild boars blown up with homemade explosives in Andhra, or cows left to forage in garbage near highways.

These aren’t isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a crisis in how India manages coexistence, compassion, and accountability.

India stands at a crossroads. With one of the world’s fastest-growing urban footprints and among the largest consumer bases for dairy and meat, the country faces mounting pressure to reconcile development with ethics.

Yet, animal protection remains under-resourced. Laws like the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act are outdated, enforcement is inconsistent, and cruelty often goes undocumented. Add to that the reality of overburdened rescue networks, under-equipped municipal departments, and public apathy – and the need for innovation becomes urgent.

This is where India’s homegrown tech capacity could become the game-changer.

Last week in Mumbai, at a first-of-its-kind AI-for-good hackathon, more than 150 engineers, coders, and mission-driven developers set aside commercial ambitions to design tools that protect animals, aid environmental justice, and support grassroots efforts that are overstretched and underfunded.

What emerged over 24 hours were working AI prototypes that could transform how cruelty cases are processed, how animal-related policy is tracked, and how citizens engage with welfare causes.

The goal wasn’t to replace rescuers or activists. It was to give them superpowers – tools that automate, inform, and scale their impact.

One team created RescueRadar, an AI tool that scans cruelty complaints and categorizes urgent cases for immediate rescue coordination. Another designed SufferingWatch, which uses machine learning to monitor regulatory filings and flag violations in industries like meat processing and dairy.

Others developed: Animal Parliament – an NLP-based system that tracks animal-related bills across state and national legislatures; VeganMe – a culturally adapted chatbot that provides 24/7 support for Indians transitioning to plant-based diets; SaferStrays – a digital interface to map stray animals and connect reports to shelters and local authorities.

These functional, field-ready tools are already attracting interest from NGOs and municipal bodies.

The event, co-hosted by global tech-for-good nonprofits Electric Sheep and Open Paws and a network of partners including Craigslist CF, ProVeg, Kickstarting for Good, Stray Dog institute, People for Animals and Bharat Accountability Initiative, is part of a broader push to connect India’s booming AI talent with underfunded social movements.

Organizers now plan to open-source several of the tools developed in Mumbai, launch an AI-for-impact incubator, and bring future editions of the event to Bengaluru and Delhi. Conversations are already underway with civic bodies and advocacy networks to integrate select tools into governance and public outreach systems.

“This is India’s moment to lead,” said Sam Tucker-Davis, Executive Director of OpenPaws. “We're not just mentoring coders – we're brokering lifelong collaborations between India’s tech community and movements that need AI the most.”

In a year dominated by concerns about AI displacing jobs, disrupting elections, or deepening inequality, this movement tells a different story – one of empathy, civic duty, and quiet transformation.

Grassroots rescuers can now use AI to triage overwhelming volumes of distress calls. Policy researchers can scan thousands of legislative pages for hidden clauses affecting wildlife. Citizens who care but feel helpless can access guidance and opportunities to act, through intelligent and inclusive tools.

This isn’t about fancy algorithms. It’s about reclaiming technology as a force for public good.

"The innovation and ingenuity that these young coders demonstrated represents a quantum leap in how technology can serve animal and climate advocacy," said Ash Singh, CEO of Electric Sheep. "India’s combination of tech talent and mission alignment can drive impact as we’ve never before seen. We’ve worked in Silicon Valley and across Europe and India’s AI talent is right up there in terms of proficiency and creativity."

The message is clear: India doesn’t need to follow Silicon Valley’s script. It has its our own story to tell – one rooted in ahimsa, interdependence, and service.

And in a country where the street dog knows your lane better than the postman, that might just be the most Indian version of the AI revolution yet.