ChatGPT's Indian Rival Being Developed By Zoho Under Sridhar Vembu's Watch

Months after ChatGPT introduced AI-powered Large Language Models to the public, it has entered all walks of life as businesses are integrating them to boost operations and students are using them to write essays. With an expansion in the scope of ChatGPT's usage, governments are calling for regulation and other tech firms are trying to recreate and build on the revolution it has triggered.

After Google's botched attempt to launch Bard and Elon Musk's plans of creating an anti-woke AI, Indian tech entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu is overseeing the development of a ChatGPT rival.

From supporting ChatGPT to competing with it

Vembu's Software-as-a-Service firm Zoho has already enabled ChatGPT integration through its apps, is now building its own model that can adapt to new tasks after paraphrasing and summarising them.

Zoho's announcement follows a social media row, which was triggered when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the idea of Indian startups creating ChatGPT-like AI models with $10 million hopeless.

It was followed by some from India Inc portraying his comments as a challenge, and a minister downplaying his ability to understand India's potential in AI.

An innovative approach

Zoho's founder Vembu has been running the firm from a village in Tamil Nadu after moving from the US, and it has raked in a Rs 2,749 crore profit in FY23.

Vembu himself is no stranger to controversy, as the Padma Shri awardee has been accused of abandoning his wife and a son with special needs in the US.