‘Tech should not dominate humans’: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu responds to Sam Altman

Sridhar Vembu says AI must stay in the background, reacts to Sam Altman’s energy analogy

As debates over artificial intelligence replacing human labour intensify, Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has firmly pushed back against the idea of equating machines with human beings, saying technology should never dominate human life.

What Sridhar Vembu said?

Vembu’s remarks came in response to comments made by Sam Altman, who recently drew a comparison between the resources required to train AI models and the effort involved in educating humans. In an interview with The Indian Express, Altman said that while people often focus on the energy used to train AI, raising and educating a human also consumes enormous resources over decades.

I do not want to see a world where we equate a piece of technology to a human being. I work hard as a technologist to see a world where we don't allow technology to dominate our lives, instead it should quietly recede into the background. https://t.co/PrbjbgCYde

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) February 22, 2026

Reacting to the statement, Vembu rejected the comparison outright. “I do not want to see a world where we equate a piece of technology to a human being,” he said, stressing that his work as a technologist is guided by the belief that technology should remain in the background, quietly supporting human life rather than shaping or controlling it.

Vembu added that the true challenge for technologists is not building ever more powerful systems but ensuring that innovation does not overwhelm society. According to him, progress should make life simpler, not more dependent on machines.

The Zoho founder has also struck a more optimistic note on India’s artificial intelligence journey. Vembu told Moneycontrol that India’s AI ecosystem is gaining momentum, particularly through affordable, homegrown innovation.

He specifically cited Sarvam AI as a positive development, noting that cost-effective models emerging from Indian companies could accelerate adoption across sectors. Vembu said he expects artificial intelligence to eventually become commoditised, making advanced capabilities widely accessible rather than concentrated in a few global firms.

Highlighting practical impact over hype, Vembu pointed out that AI is already proving useful in areas such as software development. “Today AI can write code really well,” he said, adding that this could significantly boost productivity. He also noted that Indian IT firms, given their proximity to global clients, are well placed to rapidly integrate AI into real-world solutions.