Pratyush Kumar, CEO and co-founder of Sarvam AI, outlined the company's approach to hiring and shared his vision for India's AI future at the NDTV AI Summit 2026. Highlighting the pace of change in the AI era, Kumar emphasised that how fast one can learn matters far more than what one already knows.
He said Sarvam AI prioritises individuals who can solve complex problems independently, imagine solutions that don't yet exist, and demonstrate persistence and initiative-employees willing to go the extra mile, he added, are significantly more productive.
On NDTV's question about Sarvam's hiring criteria, Kumar said, "Because there is AI, what you know matters is little less than, how quickly you can learn. The rate of learning matters much more than what you have learnt, so, we look at that very strongly, people with agency to learn, people with agency to go and solve things, and imagine things that can't be out there. The other thing we look for, it's a little bit not technical, but, I genuinely believe, you need to have the ability to suffer to succeed. And as these things become so powerful technologically, I think human ability to stick to a problem persistently come suffering of come what that's the other thing we look for and it clearly shows people who can go their extra mile are significantly more productive."
Sarvam AI aims to make software creation accessible to everyone. The company's platform, starting at Rs 1,000 a month, allows users to build applications simply by describing what they want.
Kumar framed the push as part of a larger AI shift moving faster than governments and institutions can handle.
"Technologically this is unprecedented," he said. "The rate of change of technology, the impact it can have across sectors is unprecedented. It is happening much faster than institutions, countries can absorb change. So we are going to have trouble adapting to this."
While acknowledging potential job disruption, Kumar stressed the transformative potential of AI if human welfare remains central. Referring to the summit's theme, "Sarwa Janahitaya Sarwajana Sukaya," he said AI must aim for "the welfare for all and the happiness for all."
Kumar added that India is uniquely positioned to pursue this inclusive AI model, citing its strong digital infrastructure built through initiatives like Aadhaar.
"India as a country still physically not the world-class infrastructure that we desire, but top-class digital infrastructure," he said. He added that India can compete globally in research and development while shaping AI to be inclusive and scalable.
