The Law of Unintended Consequences: From Ecosystems to Electric Cars

Dear Friends,

One of my friends, arguably the most intelligent among us, made an extreme decision to stay back and care for his family rather than pursue better prospects elsewhere. On one hand, he was empathetic and responsible, prioritizing his family’s well-being. On the other, he lost the opportunity to earn and provide better opportunities for the next generation. This is a classic dilemma that many sons and daughters face in their lives. In fact, in the 1970s, there was a movie titled Talla (Mother) or Pellama (Wife) that explored this very conflict. In such complex social systems, there is no absolute right or wrong. Fortunately, in modern times, these issues are often handled with better mutual understanding and acceptance.

Why am I bringing this social issue into the context of electric cars? Let me share another related story. Many of you might be familiar with The Borneo Cat Drop Experiment (1950s). In Sarawak, Borneo, a malaria outbreak led the World Health Organization (WHO) to spray DDT to kill mosquitoes. However, this pesticide also wiped out wasps, which controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. As a result, caterpillars multiplied and began destroying local roofs. Additionally, DDT poisoned insects, which were then eaten by geckos and eventually by cats—leading to a sharp decline in the cat population. With fewer cats, the rat population exploded, causing outbreaks of plague and typhus. To counter this, the British Royal Air Force was forced to parachute cats into Borneo to restore balance.

This is a perfect example of how solving one problem can unintentionally create new ones, setting off a chain reaction.

Recently, I came across a similar concern regarding electric vehicles (EVs) in a CBS News article: "As electric vehicles become more common, experts worry they could pose a safety risk for other drivers." While EVs offer environmental benefits by improving air quality, they also introduce new road safety challenges. On average, EVs are 1,000 to 3,000 pounds heavier than petrol/diesel-powered cars, which raises concerns about crash severity and road safety. Experts warn that in collisions, heavier EVs exert significantly greater force, increasing the risk of severe injuries for occupants of lighter vehicles.

Though I majored in physics during my graduation, I never studied it from a real-world application perspective. Reading this article made me revisit some fundamental physics concepts:

• Newton’s Second Law of Motion: F=ma (Force = mass × acceleration). Since EVs are much heavier than traditional gas vehicles, they exert greater force upon impact. In a crash with a lighter vehicle, the smaller car experiences greater deceleration and force, increasing the risk of injury to its occupants.

• Kinetic Energy Equation: KE=12mv2. Since EVs have a higher mass (mmm), they carry more kinetic energy at the same speed as lighter vehicles. In a crash, this energy needs to be dissipated, often causing greater structural damage to the smaller vehicle.

While EVs undoubtedly contribute to better air quality, their weight presents a new road safety challenge that demands innovative engineering and regulatory solutions.

Another question that arises is the availability of natural resources. Global proven oil reserves are estimated at 1.7 trillion barrels, while lithium (source for battery), though more abundant in the Earth's crust, is less accessible. Current global lithium reserves are estimated at 22 million tons. As demand for EVs grows, how will this resource crunch impact the industry? Only time will tell!

Regardless of whether you drive an EV or a petrol car, the only mantra remains: Drive Slow and Stay Safe!

Ravi Saripalle

Starting Early = Finishing Early = Faster Success! Can Nature Accept this Formula?

Dear Friends,

I was unable to speak until I turned five! My parents were a bit worried due to social pressure but couldn't do much to help. It was a time and place where there were no educational counselors or therapists. Then, a speech miracle happened—I finally started speaking. Maybe I was an outlier in those days, but back then, most of us accepted natural growth as it was. We grew as nature intended.

However, today, we live in an inorganic world. Consider a green banana: at room temperature (20-25°C), it ripens in 5-7 days. Placing it in a paper bag, rice, or a warm spot speeds up the process by 2-4 days. Using an oven or microwave makes it ripen almost instantly—but it alters the texture and taste. The banana softens but doesn’t become sweeter. Similarly, tomatoes ripen naturally on the vine in 1-2 weeks. Yet, farmers often use ethylene gas or calcium carbide to turn them red in just a few days.

What’s the lesson here? Rushing ripening makes things appear ready, but the real quality is lost.

Now, what about children? Can we accelerate maturity in them? This is a critical question.

We can build AI models, improving accuracy and reducing costs with each iteration. But can the same approach be applied to human development?

Why are children so exhausted today? Consider their educational journey:

• At age 2, they start preschool.

• At age 6, they enter Class 1.

• At age 15, they take their Class 10 exams.

• At age 21, they complete their graduation.

• At age 24, they finish their master’s degree.

• A few pursue PhDs or postdoctoral studies, finally reaching 30 before starting full-time employment.

Even after that, the struggle continues. Employees must clear business certifications every six months just to stay relevant. Every 2-3 years, they switch companies, each requiring new certifications with increasing levels of difficulty. It’s a relentless cycle.

In highly competitive countries like India, the pressure is immense. A recent article in India Today highlighted this reality: "1,200 apply for 2 internships, CEO calls out India’s 'employability crisis'." The author shared that his company’s Indian office had just two internship openings—but received a staggering 1,200 applications. Only about 20 candidates were shortlisted for further evaluation.

Amid this chaos, additional social pressures—salary packages, marriage, and career growth—add to the stress. These become three unavoidable stress pills.

Eventually, many feel exhausted. Some express their frustrations openly, but most suppress them, hiding behind a forced smile.

So, I ask you: Is your smile genuine?

— Ravi Saripalle

The Death of “CAPITAL LETTERS” in the Hands of “gen g” Children!

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I sent an important message to a young CEO based in the US. Fortunately, I received a response within 30 minutes. However, the text did not follow sentence case; it was completely in lowercase! A few months back, I argued with my son about a pitch. He named the pitch “ekam”; however, I insisted on keeping it as “Ekam”!

A couple of days ago, I received an article titled, “The death of capital letters: why gen Z loves lowercase,” published in The Guardian (theguardian.com). The article argues, “For many members of gen Z, lowercase writing is not just a style preference but a cultural marker, reflecting their values and attitudes to tradition. Influential artists such as Billie Eilish, 23, have reinforced this aesthetic, using lowercase in song or album titles such as don’t smile at me or my future.”

I am habituated to reading "THE HINDU", a newspaper. Look at the Gen Z kids—they love to wear gadgets by “boAt,” founded in 2016 and launched as a lifestyle brand for electronic wearables (boAt Lifestyle). Look at the “Zepto” logo (zepto), an online grocery delivery service that offers quick, reliable, and convenient deliveries, launched in 2021 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya V. To validate my research, I went through Aadit Palicha’s LinkedIn profile. He built his first startup at the age of 17, named gopool. The logo again—small case “gopool.”

Gen Z (Generation Z) refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. They believe lowercase text is softer and more personal, avoiding the "formal" or "aggressive" tone that capitalized text can sometimes carry. It aligns with the minimalist, internet-culture-driven aesthetic (“tumblr”, or how brands like "spotify" and "paypal" stylize their names).

Being in the academic community, I sometimes tend to judge based on the style of text. But we need to realize that at 50, we are becoming old—accept the next generation wholeheartedly and welcome them, welcome their language, welcome their text, and more. Of course, it is tough during the transition, but time teaches us.

In Microsoft Word, we have five options—“Sentence Case,” “lower case,” “UPPER CASE,” “Capitalize Each Word,” and “tOOGLE cASE.”

On a lighter note, I hope Gen Alpha (2010–24) does not switch to “tOOGLE cASE”!!

“are you ready to write text in lowercase? or “gEETING rEADy iN tOOGLE cASE”?”

Ravi Saripalle

I Am Not a Scientist, I Am Not a Doctor—I Am Just a Dad! How AI Is Making Everyone a Digital Native!

Dear Friends,

This week, the whole world talked about AI! France and India co-hosted the AI Action Summit, where our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi Ji, began his speech with an AI hallucination and AI flaw experiment. 

He stated:
"When asked to generate an image of a person writing with their left hand, AI systems typically depict someone using their right hand instead. This happens because AI models are primarily trained on data from right-handed individuals, making it difficult for them to accurately represent left-handed behavior." (ndtv.com)

However, if we provide a detailed prompt—similar to how we instruct a five-year-old child, saying, "Please write with your left hand,"—then AI generates the correct image!

Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s talk was equally fascinating! He shared how his parents were amazed when he took them to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in Waymo, a driverless car. His father, who is now in his 80s, sat in the front seat, experiencing this groundbreaking technology with excitement!

At the end of his speech, Sundar Pichai showed a powerful video demonstrating how AI is making a difference in people’s lives. The video featured a father trying to understand his son Max’s medical condition—Alexander’s disease—a rare disorder I had never heard of before. It has no cure, no treatment. Yet, for a loving father, doing nothing was not an option.

Determined to find answers, he turned to Gemini AI (Google’s AI engine) and uploaded all of Max’s medical records as PDFs. Gemini analyzed the data, connected it to relevant scientific papers, and revealed a surprising insight: Alexander’s disease has parallels with Alzheimer’s disease. The father discovered a group of researchers working on this condition. The next morning, he received an email from one of them!

What an incredible world we are stepping into—where intent is converted into action!

What Does This Mean?

An ordinary father, empowered by AI, can work alongside scientists and doctors! As we enter the AI Era, we move beyond the Stone Age, Ancient Age (Bronze Age, Iron Age, Classical Age), Medieval Age, and Modern Age (Renaissance, Industrial Age, Information Age). Now, we are stepping into the AI Age!

Are you ready to welcome the AI Age?
– Ravi Saripalle

Global Village or Local Continent? Which Direction Are We Heading?

Dear Friends,

Yesterday (07 February 2025), Nature published an article titled “Have Trump’s anti-DEI orders hit private funders? HHMI halts inclusive science programme.” The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a major funder of biomedical research, has cut a $60-million initiative aimed at boosting diversity in science education. As a result, it has terminated grants to 104 U.S. universities approximately midway through a six-year funding cycle—without any explanation.

This is not an isolated case. The new U.S. tariffs will have a spiraling effect on the world economy. The U.S. has imposed a steep 25% tariff on most imports from Mexico and Canada and a 10% levy on all imports from China. In response, Canada, China, and Mexico have implemented identical levies on U.S. imports.

Visual Capitalist recently published an interesting article highlighting the risks: “Hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese and U.S. products are at stake. These include electronics and textile exports from China to the U.S. and agricultural and oil and gas exports in the opposite direction. Additionally, a trade war could lead to significant job losses in the export economies of both countries.”

Just last week, we submitted a proposal to USAID. Surprisingly, within minutes of submission, we received news that USAID is facing scrutiny. The resulting budget cuts have disrupted the lives of its 10,000 employees and the thousands of contractors working with them (Economic Times, Feb 07, 2025).

This shift towards localization will also impact students aspiring to pursue master’s degrees abroad. Many of our software service companies rely heavily on global contracts, and these changes will undoubtedly affect fresher hiring.

What does this mean? While globalization is still talked about, the world is increasingly moving towards localization. The troubling aspect of this shift is that, regardless of how many years you live in a place, you remain geo-tagged to your place of birth, and your original identity often determines your future.

Ancient Indian wisdom, as quoted in the Maha Upanishad (Chapter 6), reminds us:
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥
(Ayam Nijah Paro Veti Ganana Laghucetasam, Udaracaritanam Tu Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.)

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—"The world is one family"—is not limited to humanity alone. It encompasses all life forms: humans, animals, plants, and the entire natural world. It reflects a cosmic vision—One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Perhaps the Lord has His own plan for every living entity on this earth. Let us wait and see how He unfolds it.

Ravi Saripalle

From Cradle to Cane- The Triple Crisis- Living Longer, Birthing Less, and Growing Apart!!

Dear Friends,

Globally, people above 65 years old are the fastest-growing segments of the population. In 2019, for the first time in human history, they outnumbered children younger than 5 years old (Nature , 2021). Fertility rates are near or below the 2.1 replacement level in all regions. On top of this burden, there is a surge in the number of nuclear families and single-person households! According to data from Kantar, nearly 50 percent of all households in India are nuclear (1-4 members). I am sure that outside India, this number would be much higher!

This phenomenon is nothing but the water under the mat!! By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. At this time, the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion—equivalent to the size of India!!

Today, 28% of the Japanese population is over 65 years of age. By 2039, this figure is expected to reach 40%. This means that pensioners will account for nearly half of the country’s population. South Korea's birth rate has dropped to 0.72, the lowest in the world.

There is no easy solution to simultaneously solve the fertility crisis, aging crisis, and family support crisis. In fact, everyone is missing another bigger crisis: the late fertility crisis.

Consider this hypothetical situation—I am 70 years old. I am retired and living on a few funds created over a period of time. I have a daughter aged 25 years old. She wants to marry at the age of 30 or 35. By that time, I will be 75 years old. I am diabetic, have a few chronic diseases, and need assistance. As newlyweds, it is not practically feasible for them to give support to aging parents. They are in a fluid state with all their career planning and lifestyle choices, and they want to live independently. My funds are currently managed by people with short-term thinking, and returns are unpredictable, which adds to my anxiety. My life expectancy is increasing due to life-saving medicines, but my quality of life is decreasing due to constant health issues, social anxiety, and depression.

This situation is alarming! However, Young startups can innovatively design AgeTech Solutions. Geriatric services are going to become a huge market if someone ventures into it. National Pension Schemes should be more responsible. If they are giving an average return of 8%, and inflation goes to 6% on average, with only 2% income left, how do we lead our lives?

When a startup designs a solution, it needs to consider all socio-economic, health, environmental, legal, cultural, and technical aspects in one go and design a Unified Solution- They should take care of my bed and food together without my involvement. This is the kind of complexity & opportunity involved in this domain!!

A Grand Granny Challenge for Future Geriatricpreneurs!!!

Ravi Saripalle

Agent 007.AI: James Bond in a New Avatar!

The year is 2030. Businesses worldwide are drowning in inefficiencies, spending more time managing systems than building customer relationships. That’s when Agent 007.AI enters the scene—a groundbreaking AI designed to revolutionize operations by eliminating the need for traditional CRM tools.

At TitanCorp, a global logistics giant, the sales team was bogged down by endless data entry and outdated processes. Emily Clarke, head of sales, was fed up. Her team struggled to keep up with leads while their CRM system demanded more attention than their customers.

Then came 007.AI.

Good morning, Ms. Clarke,” the AI agent greeted, its voice smooth and professional. “I’m Agent 007.AI. Shall we optimize?”

Skeptical but curious, Emily watched as the agent synchronized with their system. Within minutes, it analyzed customer data, prioritized leads, and even crafted personalized follow-up emails. By week’s end, 007.AI had flagged dormant accounts worth millions, scheduled calls for the sales team, and cleaned up the CRM database.

“How are you doing this?” Emily asked, still in wonder.

“I specialize in efficiency,” it replied with calm confidence.

You might think this is just a story, but AI agents are coming a long way! Agentic AI is on the rise, and no job is safe or secure. At the same time, a new set of jobs will be created. Just like how mobile phones replaced traditional cameras, AI agents will replace SaaS companies!

So, what does this mean for you? Think of AI agents as smart robots that can do all the tasks traditional software does, but they work independently—making decisions and handling tasks automatically without you having to click or manage anything. Business logic gets replaced by AI agents. The UX/UI layer remains safe, but the business logic and database layer are totally disrupted.

President Trump launched the Stargate Project, a $500 billion investment in AI infrastructure, as one of his first announcements! It is now called “The AI Emergency” and has become a national strategy!

This story isn’t limited to CRM alone. AI agents will enter sectors like Healthcare and Life Sciences, Finance, Education, Defense, Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics, Agriculture, Entertainment and Media, Law and Governance, Customer Service and Human Resources, Marketing, Social Services, and many more.

Are you preparing to face the new AI agents in your work?

Ravi Saripalle