Generative AI like ChatGPT is changing the landscape of software: Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia

Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia

Global tech industry veteran and co-founder of Hotmail Sabeer Bhatia said that generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as ChatGPT are set to change the landscape of software and that its use will not be restricted by people's ability to code. This comes at a time when the global tech industry increasingly believes AI will usher in the next generation of computing.

However, Bhatia added that India is not prepared for this new economy.

Speaking to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of Nasscom’s Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) 2023, Bhatia, who also co-founded ShowReel said, “ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI are really changing the landscape of software. Software will not be the same ever again. What it will require is millions of people with creative ideas and wild imaginations. They will not be restricted by their ability to code for example and that is becoming a commodity.”

Bhatia expects that AI assistants like ChatGPT and Bard will bring to software the same transformation that robotics brought to manufacturing. Taking a cue from Tesla’s factories, he said they deploy only 350 workers while the rest of the car manufacturing process is taken care of by robots.

To maximise the potential of AI technology, he advised younger generations to be more imaginative. They will need to reimagine the future and learn to collaborate as individual brilliance will no longer be required, he said, adding that India may not be ready for it yet.

“Unfortunately, India is not prepared for this new economy. Because till today, our education is knowledge-based, it's not inquiry-based. We emphasize rote-based learning, which is completely irrelevant in this new economy. We are heading into a creative economy where we need, you know, people with a wild imagination, to be able to do you know, think of creative products and solve fundamental local problems.”

Bhatia stated during a panel discussion at NTLF 2023 that 90 percent of ideas coming out of India at present are copycat ideas.

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, an AI research lab founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk and others. In 2019, Microsoft invested about $1 billion into the startup. The tech giant has reportedly invested another $10 billion into the startup.

Bhatia co-founded web-based email company Hotmail Corporation in 1996 and served as its CEO until it was acquired by Microsoft for a whopping $500 million in 1997, the company's largest acquisition at the time.

Advise to budding entrepreneurs

Bhatia, a seasoned entrepreneur and industry expert, believes that the new generation of entrepreneurs must first identify a problem to solve, as this will be the most difficult problem in entrepreneurship.

“What problem are you solving? It can’t be like let's create this, it will make me money. That's actually the last reason to start a company. The reason should be, if I can solve a fundamental problem and help someone, money automatically follows. So that's the change in thinking that we have to encourage in young people,” Bhatia said.