Mumbai-Pune Expressway Jams: Activist Blasts ‘Systemic Failures,’ Proposes 3-Phase Fix

Sridhar Vembu, founder of Zoho, recently issued a clear caution about the rapid transformation AI is bringing to coding, illustrating the shift through a simple app example. His comments came in response to Anish Moonka, creator of the 10 Minute Gita app, who shared his journey of building the app despite having no coding experience.Moonka tweeted, “Started a week ago, not knowing how to write a single line of code I wanted to read the Bhagavad Gita daily, but couldn’t find an app that felt right. So I built one.”He broke down the costs involved: $200 (₹1,800) for ChatGPT Pro, and $99 (~₹9,000) as the Apple Developer fee. Remarkably, Moonka admitted, “Lines of code I wrote: 0.”

‘Coders Should Seek Alternative Livelihoods,’ Says Zoho Founder

Quoting Moonka’s story, Vembu noted, “Examples are now pouring in about AI-assisted code engineering productivity.” He highlighted that Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, has even developed a C compiler entirely using its own AI.Vembu candidly advised, “At this point, it is best for those of us who depend on writing code for a living to start considering alternative livelihoods. I include myself in this. I don’t say this in panic, but with calm acceptance and embrace.”He also shared his conversations with Google’s Gemini Pro AI about AI’s economic impact. “It was like having an extremely intelligent economic philosopher debating you. I asked it to critique its own work and it did a fantastic job too.”

Two Possible Futures, Defined by Who Controls AI

Vembu outlined two contrasting futures shaped by AI’s influence:

• Optimistic Future:Technology renders most human technological efforts obsolete, pushing tech into the background—like digital watches today. This shift would free people to focus on life’s deeper aspects like family, nature, culture, and community, ideally in small, close-knit rural settings. “I live a life like this today and if we solve rural poverty, I consider this a very good life,” he reflected.
• Pessimistic Future:Centralized control of AI could lead to dystopian outcomes, concentrating power and limiting freedom.

He shared his full discussion with Gemini Pro alongside the post.

AI’s Impact on Young Workers’ Careers

Research from Stanford economists Erik Brynjolfsson and Bharat Chandar reveals AI’s subtle but significant reshaping of early careers. Their study found that since 2022, employment among younger workers in AI-exposed roles has dropped by 13%, while experienced professionals and those in less AI-affected sectors have seen much less change.