Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has said it has “become a fashion” in India to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) for everything, emphasising that most “so-called AI things are silly, odd programmes”.
Speaking at a TiEcon Mumbai 2025 event on Wednesday, Mr Murthy said, “I think somehow it has become a fashion in India to talk of AI for everything. I have seen several normal, ordinary programmes being touted as AI.”
Mr Murthy shared two fundamental principles of AI – machine learning and deep learning. Explaining machine learning, he said, it is “nothing but a large-scale correlation. Based on a large amount of data, it helps you predict.”
Deep learning, he said, imitates human brain functioning.
While machine learning handles supervised algorithms, deep learning takes care of unsupervised algorithms.
“Deep learning, using the data it has, creates new branches of programmes or new conditions and then it will be able to take decisions. Unsupervised algorithms, which use deep learning and neural networks are the ones that have much greater potential to do things that will mimic human beings better and better,” Mr Murthy said.
“However, I find, that most of the so-called AI things available are silly, old programmes,” he said.
VIDEO | Speaking at the Tiecon Mumbai 2025 event on Wednesday, Infosys Co-Founder NR Narayana Murthy said, “I have seen several normal ordinary programmes touted as AI. There are two fundamental principles in AI, one machine learning which is nothing but a large scale… pic.twitter.com/rHjtcWZmSw
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Talking about the impact of AI on employment, Mr Murthy said technological advancement is bound to affect jobs but it can drive economic growth if it is implemented in an assistive manner.
“In each technology, certain jobs will be eliminated, but if used in an assisted manner, we can grow the economy,” he was quoted as saying by Business Standard.
“AI, for example, if you use it in autonomous vehicles for transport, hospital care, it will lead to expansion of those companies and create jobs,” he said.