“We’re Smart Enough to Invent AI, Dumb Enough to Need It”
Jerry Seinfeld said it best.
“We’re smart enough to invent AI, dumb enough to need it, and so stupid we can’t figure out if we did the right thing.”
It’s the most accurate startup pitch of the decade.
Because somewhere between ChatGPT writing our emails, and, investors writing their own obituaries, we’ve entered a golden age of intelligence outsourcing.
We don’t just want smart tools anymore. We want them to think for us, write better emails, and come with fewer ethics. (Looking at you, KarmaAI.)
Last week, ChatGPT told me it could predict startup success with 94% confidence.
Impressive, I thought. Until, I saw its top pick. It recommended Dunzo, right after its 90-day salary delay.
That’s when I realised AI isn’t replacing humans. It’s just automating our bad decisions, but faster.
That’s not artificial intelligence. That’s a bored angel investor WhatsApp group during the lockdown.
We’ve built a machine that can summarise Tolstoy but can’t read a single news headline. It’s like teaching Rabindranath Tagore to code and getting influencer reels in return. (FYI: This is great for content, terrible for civilisation, especially since I’m not chasing the perfect eyeliner wing; I’m chasing something Tagore-esque in my own work.)
AI hype today feels like every investor discovered fire, and immediately asked if it’s VC-backable.
We’re funding anything with an “AI”: chaiAI, paanAI, AIrBnB.
In 2023 alone, Indian startups raised over $2.7 billion for AI-related ventures. Most are still “in stealth,” which in startup-speak means “we have a deck, not a product.” The subtext: “pivots loading.”
Here’s the thing: AI is only as smart as our collective confusion.
Ask it for a stock tip and it says, “Past performance is not indicative of future results.” But, ask it for a breakup text and it’s Shakespeare with Wi-Fi and too much time on its hands. (No words, AI. Truly. Though I’m sure you’ve got a few hundred.)
We treat AI like it’s a wunderkind, our therapist, analyst, and intern rolled into one. And somehow, it’s still better at all three. The truth? It’s less a genius, and, more a rash, thriving only when we keep scratching.
Meanwhile, in India, our relationship with AI is pure jugaad.
We’ll build generative tools for teachers. Small catch, they’ll only work if the school has broadband, trained teachers, and, well, walls. Tiny gaps, nothing major.
We sent a rocket to the moon for ₹600 crore, but a government website for citizens? Still buffering.
If Seinfeld were Indian, he’d say:
“We made AI smart enough to beat us at chess, but not smart enough to get our ration card verified online. Makes sense.”
The truth? AI isn’t stealing our jobs. It’s stealing our excuses.
You can’t say, “I didn’t have time to write that email,” when ChatGPT drafts it in 0.2 seconds – and judge you for it.
Maybe Seinfeld was right.
We’re smart enough to invent AI.
Dumb enough to depend on it.
So enjoy the AI era, bud – because you created and propagated the problem you’re going to have to live with forever.