'Silly old programs'—Narayana Murthy criticizes AI hype in India
What's the story
N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of IT services giant Infosys, has voiced his concerns over the rampant use of the term artificial intelligence (AI) by tech companies in India.
Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Murthy said that he has seen many ordinary programs being misrepresented as AI. He thinks this trend is becoming more and more common in India.
AI breakdown
Murthy explains the fundamentals of AI
Further, Murthy elaborated on the two key aspects of AI: machine learning and deep learning.
He described machine learning as a large-scale correlation, which uses extensive data to make predictions.
The second aspect, deep learning, mimics human brain function and is capable of handling unsupervised algorithms.
These algorithms can create new branches of programs or conditions based on data, allowing for decision-making processes.
Misrepresentation
The misrepresentation of AI
Murthy stressed that deep learning, which employs unsupervised data and neural networks, has a much higher potential to mimic human behavior.
However, he slammed many programs being marketed as AI in India.
"So unsupervised data, which uses deep learning and neural networks, has much greater potential to do things that mimic human behavior better," he said.
"But what I am seeing being called AI is silly old programs," Murthy added.
Infosys's approach
Infosys's commitment to AI development
Infosys is working on small language models (SLM) using open-source components and proprietary data sets.
Their strong focus on Generative AI (Gen AI) has led them to create an SLM designed for specific industry applications and use cases.
The IT services giant Infosys is also negotiating with German automaker Daimler to accelerate the renewal of a $3 billion contract, with focus on AI-led solutions.