Mahanth S. Joishy is Editor

“In the past few years, there have been many advances in AI (Artificial Intelligence). At the same time, there have been even more momentous developments with another AI – America & India.” – Prime Minister Narendra Modi in address to US Congress, 2023

AI is disrupting ever single industry today, and in 2024 there is plenty of human drama going on behind the scenes as some of the biggest players in the AI space go through turmoil as they jockey over funding, market share, and even deeper business philosophy. Indian-American tech moguls are right in the thick of it. In particular, several of these hail from South India like usindiamonitor.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, born in Madurai, is embroiled in controversy over the rollout of Gemini. Though for years Google was thought to have the clear lead in the AI space, Gemini was late to the game and has had an objectively shaky start.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a graduate of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), the university in my hometown in coastal Karnataka, is sort of playing the role of Godfather at OpenAI. In the drama that unfolded over Sam Altman’s firing and re-hiring, and Elon’ Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, Satya is going to figure prominently in whatever unfolds at OpenAI, currently the most talked-about company in the intense race.

Meanwhile, Elon’s team at Tesla is working feverishly to roll out Full Self Driving (FSD), probably the most advanced (and controversial) AI project in the entire auto industry dedicated to the problem of driverless cars. The team is inching closer to their goals with every FSD mile in the real world, and leading the charge is Autopilot Software Director Ashok Elluswamy, the very first recruit on the project, a graduate of the College of Engineering Guindy in Chennai, and one of Elon’s most trusted deputies. FSD is of course just one of many AI projects in Elon’s portfolio. In fact on the very first seminal, nearly intervention-free drive of the new FSD 12 that Elon live streamed back in 2023, Ashok accompanied him on this earth-shattering ride and you can hear his Indian accent in the background:

The list goes on. Though we spend time talking about the more prominent IAs shaping AI here, there are thousands more Indian-American and Indian professionals toiling at cubicles for small and large companies who will have their fingerprints all over the uncertain future all of us are rushing towards. We hope that when we get there, AI will ultimately be a force for good above evil. As a South Indian-American, usindiamonitor is glad that our diaspora will have a lot to say about this.