Shocking! This is what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said about India making ChatGPT-like model

Speaking at an event, OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman said India’s chances of creating a ChatGPT-like foundational model were “hopeless”. He was responding to venture capitalist and former head of Google India Rajan Anandan's question.

Know why OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman said India’s attempt at creating another ChatGPT was “hopeless”. (AFP)

The OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is currently on a multi-nation trip speaking on artificial intelligence, its positive impact, and the need for regulations to mitigate its downside. As a part of his trip, he was in India on June 7 and 8, where he met PM Modi and attended a couple of sessions where he spoke with entrepreneurs, media, and academicians. He responded to various questions about AI, but one particular response stuck out where he said that India's chances of building a ChatGPT-like foundational model to create its own generative AI were “hopeless”. It was as shocking as it was surprising.

Altman was responding to a question posed by venture capitalist and former head of Google India Rajan Anandan where he asked, “Sam, we have got a very vibrant ecosystem in India. Focusing specifically on AI, if a startup from India wants to build foundational (AI) models, how should we think about that, here is it that a team from India to actually build something truly substantial”.

Sam Altman says India's chances to build AI training models are ‘hopeless'

Altman responded to it and said, “The way this works is, we are going to tell you that it's completely hopeless to challenge us in training foundational models, and you shouldn't even try it. And it's your job to still try it anyway. And I believe both of those things. I think it is pretty hopeless regardless”.

Despite the response, Anandan has taken up challenge quite sportingly. He took to Twitter to respond to Altman's answer and tweeted, “Thank you @sama for the clear answer. As you said, "it is hopeless, but you will try anyway". 5000 years of Indian entrepreneurship has shown us that we should never underestimate the Indian entrepreneur. We do intend to try”.

CEO of Tech Mahindra, CP Gurnani has also reacted to this exchange and tweeted, “OpenAI founder Sam Altman said it's pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them. Dear @sama, From one CEO to another.. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED”.

Peeyush Ranjan, VP of Google Assistant, also replied to Anandan's tweet and said, “Great perspective @RajanAnandan -- one shouldn't bet against the Indian entrepreneurship. I was surprised that the head of a supposedly non profit discouraged entrepreneurs from joining the cause, and instead saw it as competition”.

These posts including the exchange between Anandan and Altman have gone viral on social media.