Tech Mahindra CEO Accepts OpenAI Founder’s Challenge to Build India’s ChatGPT
The CEO of Tech Mahindra, CP Gurnani, has accepted the challenge posed by the founder and CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, that Indian companies cannot compete with the Silicon Valley-based research lab on developing artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a powerful natural language processing system that can generate coherent and diverse texts on various topics.
The challenge was issued by Altman during an event organised by The Economic Times, where he was asked by Rajan Anandan, a former vice president of Google in India and South East Asia and current venture capitalist, whether India can build an AI tool like ChatGPT. Altman replied that it was “pretty hopeless” for Indian companies to try and compete with OpenAI on training foundation models, which are large-scale AI models that can be adapted to various tasks and domains¹². He added that it was the job of Indian entrepreneurs to try anyway, despite his skepticism.
Gurnani responded to Altman’s remarks on Twitter, expressing his determination to prove him wrong. He tweeted, “OpenAI founder Sam Altman said it’s pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them. Dear @sama, From one CEO to another.. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.”
Gurnani also highlighted Tech Mahindra’s achievements and initiatives in the field of AI, such as its amplif suite of AI offerings, which provides tailor-made, transformative, and agile solutions to organisations, unlocking the next level of growth. He mentioned that Tech Mahindra started working on generative AI, which is the ability to create new content from existing data, around 2015-16 with one of its first IP created in the media domain called Storicool. He also said that Tech Mahindra was among the first IT services company whose chatbot, developed by makers lab, became the 51 most credible chatbots in 2016.
Altman later clarified his comments on Twitter, saying that they were taken out of context and that the question was about competing with OpenAI with $10 million, which he thought was not feasible. He also said that it was the wrong question to ask, and that the right question was what a startup can do that’s never been done before, that will contribute a new thing to the world. He said that he had no doubt that Indian startups can and will do that, and that no one but the builders can answer that question.
Altman, who is on a six-nation tour that includes India, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed the need for global regulation of AI. He also said that the first thing he will do in India is to fund startups.
The challenge between Altman and Gurnani has sparked a lot of interest and debate among the Indian tech community, as it reflects the aspirations and potential of the country to become a global leader in AI innovation and development. It also showcases the spirit of entrepreneurship and competitiveness that drives the Indian tech ecosystem to achieve new heights of excellence and impact.
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