Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shift the role of engineers from coding to adopting a mindset more like that of a CEO, according to Srinivas Narayanan, Vice President of Engineering at OpenAI.
“For every software engineer, the job is going to shift from being an engineer to being a CEO. You now have the tools to do so much more, so I think that means you should aspire bigger,” Narayanan said while speaking at the IIT Madras Alumni Association's flagship sixth innovation summit, Sangam 2025, in Bengaluru.
Describing AI as a powerful "super-assistant," Narayanan explained that AI systems are moving far beyond simply answering questions.
He highlighted that as AI systems increasingly handle the "how" of building and execution, engineers must focus on defining the “what” and “why”, the bigger picture vision and direction traditionally associated with leadership roles.
“Of course, software is interesting and exciting, but just the ability to think bigger is going to be incredibly empowering for people, and the people who succeed (in the future) are the ones who are going to be able to think bigger.”
Narayanan, as the VP of engineering at the ChatGPT-owned firm, has led some of the most transformative AI projects of recent years, including the recently launched Codex, a cloud-based engineering agent capable of independently performing multiple programming tasks.
Also, read: OpenAI debuts Codex AI agent to automate coding tasks in the cloud
"An organization should be able to do things a lot more with the people that we have. I hope that this just elevates the potential for all of us as individuals and organizations to accomplish more than what we have," he further said.
Beyond engineering, Narayanan highlighted AI’s transformative potential in research. He described advanced "reasoning models" that can explore complex problems deeply and propose new hypotheses, effectively acting like dedicated research partners.
An example he shared involved AI aiding in the diagnosis of rare genetic disorders, highlighting its power to support life-saving medical breakthroughs.
Despite these breakthroughs, Narayanan stressed the importance of responsible AI development.
He outlined OpenAI’s safety evaluations and commitment to mitigating risks such as misinformation or misuse. "We don’t get everything perfect on the first try, but we learn and iterate rapidly," added.
Narayanan’s message in the age of AI is clear: the engineers who succeed will be those who step up to think and act like CEOs and drive impact far beyond lines of code.
Also, read: Working on improving capabilities for Hindi and Tamil: OpenAI's Srinivas Narayanan
Meanwhile, three deeptech and AI startups were selected out of 20 out of over 250 at the event, who will receive support from the IIT Madras Innovation Ecosystem, which has nurtured over 500 start-ups in the past decade.
Firstly, Folium Sensing, a fiber-optic sensing system for real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure. Second, Q-axis Motors, which is India's first precision gimbals for defense, drone & surveillance, and lastly, Zentor Medtech, which has developed the world's first solid state laser technology for eye surgery.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
