Sam Altman's comment on India's AI capability: How Indians reacted
What's the story
Sam Altman's India visit was nothing short of eventful. From meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to taking a dig at ChatGPT, he constantly made headlines. However, what drew the most attention was something he said about India's ability to build a foundational model like the one ChatGPT is based on. Let's look at what Altman said and how India's leading voices reacted to it.
Context
Why does this story matter?
ChatGPT's success has got companies and countries aspiring to build something similar. Everyone wants a competitive edge in the AI revolution, and OpenAI has emerged as the benchmark for that. The past few months have seen Altman's stature grow from a start-up CEO to one of the leading figures in AI. Therefore, his words carry a lot of weight when it comes to AI.
Question
Altman was asked whether Indian start-ups can build foundational models
During an event, Rajan Anandan, the former Google VP for India and South East Asia, asked Altman whether he sees a "start-up from India building foundational AI models." "Where is it that a team from India, with three super-smart engineers having not 100, but $10 million each could actually build something truly substantial?" Anandan added.
Answer
It is 'hopeless' to compete with OpenAI: Altman
Altman's reply to this question is behind the current controversy. According to him, it is "hopeless" to compete with OpenAI in training foundational models. "You shouldn't try, and it's your job to like trying anyway," he added. "5,000 years of Indian entrepreneurship has shown us that we should never underestimate the Indian entrepreneur. We do intend to try," Anandan later wrote on Twitter.
Reaction
Altman's response gained traction after Tech Mahindra 'accepted the challenge'
Altman's response gained more traction after Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurmani tweeted about the same. "OpenAI founder Sam Altman said it's pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them," he wrote. "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED," Gurmani added. Indian Twitterati had mixed reactions to Gurmani's post. Some called Altman "arrogant," while others agreed with what the OpenAI CEO said.
Twitter Post
Tech Mahindra accepted Altman's challenge
OpenAI founder Sam Altman said it’s pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them.
— CP Gurnani (@C_P_Gurnani) June 9, 2023
Dear @sama, From one CEO to another..
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. pic.twitter.com/67FDUtLNq0
Government
Altman doesn't understand India's AI capabilities: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, said Altman should not be considered "anything more than an important man in AI." "He's certainly not going to be the last word on what India's aspirations for AI are going to be," Chandrasekhar said. He added that Altman does not have an understanding of India's AI capabilities.
Unacademy
India must accept reality: Unacademy CEO
Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal, however, agreed with Altman. "We didn't build a global Social Network or an Operating System or a Browser or Cloud Infra. Yet we are so offended by @sama's statement," Munjal wrote. He said India must "accept the reality." "We need to build a better ecosystem for the next OpenAI to come out of India," he added.
Twitter Post
Unacademy CEO is not offended by Altman's comments
We didn’t build a global Social Network or an Operating System or a Browser or Cloud Infra. Yet we are so offended by @sama’s statement.
— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) June 10, 2023
I would love nothing more than Global Products and Companies being built out of India. But we have to also accept the reality. Founders and…
Clarification
Altman said his response was taken out of context
Under Gurmani's tweet, Altman issued a clarification. "This is really taken out of context!" he wrote. According to Altman, the question was about competing against OpenAI with $10 million. "The right question is what a startup can do that's never been done before, that will contribute a new thing to the world," Altman wrote in another tweet.
Twitter Post
Altman issued a clarification about his response
this is really taken out of context! the question was about competing with us with $10 million, which i really do think is not going to work. but i still said try! however, i think it’s the wrong question.
— Sam Altman (@sama) June 10, 2023