Artificial intelligence could "slow us down" if not used properly, Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has said. He also urged individuals against "copy-pasting" AI-generated text as their own.
"It is unwise for a human to copy-paste AI text ... hiding the fact that it came from AI," Mr Vembu wrote in a detailed post on X.
He shared how he uses AI daily, describing himself as a "moderate to heavy" user with two to three sessions a day. He revealed that he regularly switches between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok and also uses Deepseek.
Mr Vembu highlighted four main ways AI fits into his workflow. First, he said AI has largely replaced traditional web search, cutting his own search usage by 80 per cent.
Second, he uses AI as a "debating partner," often making different models critique each other's responses to deepen his understanding.
On business applications, Mr Vembu sees AI as useful in improving product experiences and speeding up customer support. He warned against replacing human agents or passing off AI-generated text as human-written. "It is unwise to let AI replace human agents," he wrote.
For coding, Mr Vembu said, while AI can generate code, it requires extensive review for compliance, privacy, and security. "If any programmer submits AI-generated code without doing all this, they are failing at their job," he said, adding that in some cases, AI may even "slow down" development rather than speed it up.
He added that at Zoho, programmers are encouraged to use AI mainly for learning and debate. "We continue to run a lot of experiments, and I will revise my opinion if and when facts change on the ground," Mr Vembu said.
Earlier this year, Mr Vembu stepped down as Zoho's CEO to take on the role of chief scientist, focusing on deep tech R&D, particularly in AI, alongside his rural development mission. He said he was preparing to present Zoho's AI strategy to industry analysts in Austin.
As part of the leadership transition, co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey has taken over as group CEO, Tony Thomas now leads Zoho US, Rajesh Ganesan heads ManageEngine, and Mani Vembu oversees Zoho.com.
