Shark Tank judge and Shaadi.com CEO Anupam Mittal cautions leaders against being too dependent on AI; says ‘AI can fake intelligence, not courage’

Anupam Mittal

Anupam Mittal, Shaadi.com founder and judge on Shark Tank India, has raised a red flag on the growing dependence of entrepreneurs and executives on generative AI platforms like ChatGPT. In a recent LinkedIn post, Mittal urged business leaders to view AI as a tool rather than a substitute for judgement, creativity, or leadership instincts.

Concerns over blind trust in AI
Mittal recalled a conversation with a founder who claimed, “I get all my ideas from ChatGPT.” For the entrepreneur, it was a strength, but Mittal saw it differently. “He thought it was a flex. I saw a red flag,” he wrote. According to him, generative AI tools often recycle existing knowledge, making them sound articulate and polished but lacking real depth.

“Because Gen AI mostly averages existing knowledge. It sounds brilliant > smooth, confident, articulate but too often it’s just platitudes and polite sycophancy,” Mittal explained in his post. He added that while AI-generated emails and presentations may look impressive, many ultimately “read like genius… and meant nothing.”

Leadership cannot be outsourced
Mittal emphasised that over-reliance on AI erodes originality in decision-making. He noted that he has seen decks, pitches, and strategy notes churned out entirely by AI models that amounted to little more than “senseless Ctrl C Ctrl V.”

In his view, this highlights a larger problem—confusing AI’s efficiency with leadership. “Outsourcing judgement isn’t leadership,” he cautioned.

The human element in business
What Mittal stressed most was the irreplaceable role of human qualities in business. “My take – AI can fake intelligence. It can’t fake courage or an original point of view,” he wrote. He argued that successful leaders must still rely on instinct, contrarian thinking, and the ability to take uncomfortable decisions—traits AI cannot replicate.

“The best managers and founders I know use AI for speed and structure but the instinct, the angles, the contrarian call, the uncomfortable decision? That’s all on them,” he added.