Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation at the Zoholics event in Austin, Texas. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, has criticised companies that have been racing to deploy generative AI technology into their products without ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability.
“Nobody wants to fall behind in the AI arms race. There’s a rush going on, but that is also limiting the adoption of AI in business. Can you rely on it, and can it be truthful? Take the issue of copyright: it generates some code for you, but what if it lifted the code verbatim from a library whose license is not so permissive? These are the questions that need to be answered,” Vembu told indianexpress.com on the sidelines of the Zoholics event in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday.
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For Vembu, it’s not just the job of the company to figure this out and vendors also have a role to play in how the AI tools are deployed at the enterprise level.
Despite all the hype surrounding generative AI, many organisations have yet to make significant investments in the technology. Only 5 per cent of companies have mature GenAI initiatives, with 45 per cent delaying investment, according to a new research report by Genpact and HFS Research.
Attendees walking through the vibrant entrance of Zoholics 2024 at the Austin Convention Center in Texas. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
“Some of these companies, particularly when Microsoft is looking at AI as an extra revenue source, are putting a price on it. I believe AI has to be integrated deeply and contextually. It’s not just a revenue source; it’s an experience, a massively better experience,” Vembu said, emphasising that we need to find and fit AI into specific contextual spaces.
But as tech giants like Google and ChatGPT creator OpenAI are locked in a race to develop AI technology at scale and companies start to deploy AI tools, policymakers around the world are paying increased attention to artificial intelligence. Some sort of regulation of AI is needed, as voices from different sections have increased over the past few months, but opinions vary widely.
“I think at this point, since we don’t know a lot, we should not over-regulate. We should be watchful,” Vembu noted.
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Headquartered in Austin, Texas with international headquarters in Chennai, Zoho is a major SaaS company and a lesser-known rival of Google and Microsoft in the enterprise software space, positioning itself as an affordable alternative to the global giants. Globally, Zoho has over 100 million users across its 55 business applications. Its clients include Amazon, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, SpiceJet, and Zomato, among others. Zoho’s advantage over its bigger rivals is that it does not run ads or sell customers’ data to third parties.
“We are not in the consumer space yet, so we are really not competing with Google. Yes, we overlap in some of the apps, but we are more of a competitor to Microsoft,” Vembu said.
At its Zoholics event, the company announced updates across its collaboration tools portfolio to enhance productivity. The updates include new features across four key collaboration tools—Zoho Projects, Zoho Notebook, Zoho WorkDrive, and Zoho Sign—focused on AI, automation, and industry-specific customizations. Zoho Projects now includes Natural Language Processing capabilities powered by its AI engine, Zia. Users can utilise voice commands for deeper searches across Zoho apps, and Zia can provide task recommendations based on data analysis. These features aim to reduce the time needed to retrieve information and enhance visibility across teams operating asynchronously.
Other key announcements include Zoho CRM for Everyone, which democratises CRM capabilities across all customer operation teams, and an enhanced security stack comprising Zoho Directory, Zoho OneAuth, and Zoho Vault to protect businesses against breaches and attacks. Zoho also introduced new features for its Developer Platform to assist in rapid app development and data-informed roadmap creation.
Anuj Bhatia is a seasoned personal technology writer at indianexpress.com with a career spanning over a decade. Active in the domain since 2011, he has established himself as a distinct voice in tech journalism, specializing in long-form narratives that bridge the gap between complex innovation and consumer lifestyle.
Experience & Career: Anuj has been a key contributor to The Indian Express since late 2016. Prior to his current tenure, he served as a Senior Tech Writer at My Mobile magazine and held a role as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. His professional trajectory reflects a rigorous commitment to technology reporting, backed by a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University.
Expertise & Focus Areas: Anuj’s reporting covers the spectrum of personal technology, characterized by a unique blend of modern analysis and historical context. His key focus areas include:
Core Technology: Comprehensive coverage of smartphones, personal computers, apps, and lifestyle tech.
Deep-Dive Narratives: Specializes in composing longer-form feature articles and explainers that explore the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture.
Global & Local Scope: Reports extensively on major international product launches from industry titans like Apple and Google, while simultaneously covering the ecosystem of indie and home-grown tech startups.
Niche Interests: A dedicated focus on vintage technology and retro gaming, offering readers a nostalgic yet analytical perspective on the evolution of tech.
Authoritativeness & Trust
Anuj is a trusted voice in the industry, recognized for his ability to de-jargonize trending topics and provide context to rapid technological advancements. His authority is reinforced by his on-ground presence at major international tech conferences and his nuanced approach to product reviews. By balancing coverage of the world's most valuable tech brands with emerging startups, he offers a holistic and objective view of the global technology landscape.
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