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

Don’t Read this Article, Please! This is Not Meant for You.

Dear Friends,

Despite this heading, you are still reading this article, right? Yes, I know! This is exactly what happened to me a few days back.

I was reading a Medium article titled “7 Ugly Niche Websites That Make Over $5000 Each Month”. I didn’t have complete access to it since it was a premium article. However, I couldn’t resist diving deeper. My mind was pushing me to search and hunt for similar websites! Essentially, I was looking for low or no UX (User Experience) websites that still make huge money.

The first hit was https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/. Do you know who founded this? Can you guess? The website looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 1990s—plain text, no modern styling, and no interactive features. Yet, the holding company has a $1.01 trillion market cap, a share price of $467.95 (as of January 17, 2025, 7:25 PM), and generates over $300 billion annually.

Warren Buffett, an American investor and philanthropist, is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As you may know, he lives in a modest corner house in Omaha, Nebraska. He bought the house in 1958 for $31,500 and has lived there ever since. Interestingly, he bought his first stock at the age of 11 and filed taxes at the age of 13.

Now, take a look at https://hyderabad.craigslist.org/, https://www.lingscars.com/, or even https://www.htmlgoodies.com/. These websites look super simple yet powerful in their mission (either now or in the past).

What is this phenomenon? It’s called “Anti-Marketing” or “Counter-Cultural Marketing.” It goes against conventional marketing norms to create differentiation and authenticity, sometimes embracing flaws or imperfections as part of the brand identity. This creates a sense of uniqueness and even trust.

Guerrilla Marketing refers to using unconventional methods to attract attention and generate interest. For example, on November 25, 2011, Patagonia published an ad titled “Don’t Buy This Jacket” for Black Friday in the New York Times. It was a deliberate ad campaign, highlighting that each piece of Patagonia clothing—whether organic or made from recycled materials—emits several times its weight in greenhouse gases, generates at least half a garment's worth of scrap, and uses significant amounts of freshwater, which is becoming increasingly scarce worldwide (www.patagonia.com). The message was intended to show concern about mindless purchases. And guess what? They’ve only grown stronger since.

Sometimes, it’s not just about business—trust and genuine concern can lead to more business! Check out Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps (with its cluttered design and eco-friendly packaging), and you’ll see how design doesn’t always matter—content does!

If you’ve reached this paragraph, I’m sure you’ve also been trapped in this marketing 😊 Isn’t that true?

Please, do not visit my blog: https://i2itm.blogspot.com/ 😊

Ravi Saripalle

The Concept of “PMF” in the Startup World is Familiar! However, PMF in the Social World is Funny but Paramount! Do you know what PMF is? Read this story!

Dear Friends,

Recently, I was asked to talk about PMF—Product-Market Fit—in a startup context. It is a popular concept nowadays in the startup journey.

Product-Market Fit (PMF) is like finding the perfect match between the product and the people who need it. It happens when your product solves a problem so well that customers are happy, excited, and willing to pay for it.

If you go deep into the journey, there are 32 steps in 5 phases of funding as per Majd Alaily. Product-Market Fit (PMF) comes in Phase 2 after the product launch:

• Phase 1 (Pre-Seed): [Idea, Founder Team, Product Build, Initial Validation, Proof of Concept, Initial Traction, Initial Business Model, Pre-Seed Funding]

• Phase 2 (Seed): [Product Launch, Initial PMF (Product-Market Fit), Key Hires, Scalability, User Base]

• Phase 3 (Series A): [Scaling Product, Revenue Growth, Market Penetration, User Growth, Operational Efficiency, Team Growth, Brand Building, Strong Retention]

• Phase 4 (Series B): [Market Leader, Solid Financials, Product Expansion, Scalable Operations]

• Phase 5 (Series C): [New Markets, Potential Mergers and Acquisitions, Exit Strategies, Strategic Partners, Profit Driven, Operational Excellence, Path to IPO]

Surprisingly, there are 32 steps in today’s arranged marriage journey in the Indian context:

• Phase 1 (Exploration): [Expression of Intent, Consultation with Elders, Criteria Setting, Profile Preparation, Horoscope Matching, Background Research, Networking for Matches]

• Phase 2 (Proposal & Compatibility Assessment): [Profile Exchange, Initial Discussions, First Family Meeting, Bride & Groom Meeting, Compatibility Check, Initial Profile Marital Fit (PMF) Check, Mutual Approval]

• Phase 3 (Courtship & Relationship Building): [Extended Family Introductions, Building Rapport, Lifestyle Discussions, Future Planning, Cultural Immersion, Profile Marital Fit Validation, Mutual Understanding Development]

• Phase 4 (Pre-Wedding Commitments & Planning): [Engagement Ceremony (Nischayathartham), Fixing the Wedding Date, Pre-Wedding Rituals Planning, Venue & Vendor Selection, Shopping & Preparations, Invitation Distribution]

• Phase 5 (Wedding & Post-Wedding Integration): [Pre-Wedding Rituals, Main Wedding Ceremony, Community Participation, Grahapravesham, Post-Wedding Planning, New House Setup]

I don’t know if it’s sheer coincidence or a real mapping, but Product-Market Fit (PMF) in the startup world and Profile-Marital Fit (PMF) in the marriage world encounter in Phase 2 of the journey, both with 32 steps!

If there is any slip/deviation in any of the 32 steps, the product fails—and so does the marriage! However, there are always exceptions! A chance encounter happens with the will of God!

God’s intervention in the form of Karma is the 0th and 33rd step, if you believe in God. If not, we can call it Nature’s intervention!

Do you agree?

Ravi Saripalle

My New Year Message to Young Minds (Especially Millennials (23–38) and Generation Z (7–28))

As members of Generation X (39–54), we are neither as old as the Boomers (55–73) nor as outdated as the Silent Generation (74–91).

Take a moment to reflect on the image below, captioned: "Don’t Burn Your Opportunities for Temporary Comfort."

It depicts a boy climbing down into a deep pit using a ladder. Experiencing heavy cold, the boy begins burning the rungs of the ladder for warmth.

Every Saturday, I share a story with my subscribers as part of the Inspire to Innovate (i2i) Storytelling Movement (https://lnkd.in/g-migWEN). This January 2025 marks 15 years of the i2i Storytelling Movement! Thank you for your continued support.

Typically, these stories are longer, but this one will be brief:

1. A high salary is a temporary comfort—Work is an opportunity.
2. Luxury vacations are temporary comforts—Work-life balance is an opportunity.
3. Beauty is a temporary comfort—Health is an opportunity.
4. Marital shopping (checklist culture) is a temporary comfort—Compatibility and love are opportunities.
5. Living in a nuclear setup is a temporary comfort—Responsibility is an opportunity.
6. Flattery is a temporary comfort—Trust is an opportunity.

And finally, a message for myself:

Preaching is a temporary comfort—Practice is an opportunity.

Thank you for reading!

Warm regards,

Ravi Saripalle