Convenient ≠ Smart : Build Smarter Habits, Not Just Smarter Apps

We often discuss how IoT, smart cities, climate change, AI, and digitalization are redefining our world. But “smart” only works when people participate and when our consumption habits evolve alongside technology, balancing the need versus greed. And that's the catch: people seldom know how to drive the participation and adoption of IoT in our daily lives.

Recently, I met a group of people skeptical about whether “smart” truly makes life better, and some of them felt smart using "convenience" apps. Their doubts made sense—because we often confuse “smart” with “convenience.”

Remember, convenience isn’t the same as smart. Food or grocery delivery is convenient. Smart is different: it’s systems that save energy, cut waste, and improve health—often with benefits that grow over time.

A city installs smart bins, they optimize collection routes, control odor, and improve waste management. But unless citizens segregate and put waste inside the bins (not around them), the system fails.

Let's think about some real smart examples that drive digitalization, as these are the initiatives that can reshape communities, economies, and the planet.

• Smart streetlights: lower energy use and carbon footprint.
• Indoor AQI monitoring: healthier homes and schools over time.
• Smart water/gas/energy: leak detection and conservation.
• Smart mobility tracking: less waiting, better planning, higher productivity.
• Industrial IoT: efficient production and stronger economies.
• Smart bins: cleaner air and better waste outcomes (if citizens segregate and use them).

Food delivery or grocery apps are often branded as “smart.” In reality, they’re convenience tools, everything delivered to your doorstep. Useful, yes. Transformative? Not necessarily.

With access to smarter tech, end-users should adjust how they consume, especially by using less, using better, and using consciously. That’s how we truly harness IoT and IoE for sustainable, smarter living.

I sincerely believe that unless we clearly communicate these benefits and involve citizens in adoption, smart initiatives risk being misunderstood or ignored. Without people, “smart” is just another gadget. With people, it becomes a force for sustainable change.

It’s time we promote real smart initiatives at the grassroots levels, not just “at-convenience” solutions, so the world doesn’t become a couch potato, but instead a collective changemaker.