Archive · 4 Nov 2025
Zoho Founder Questions AI Creativity, Sparks Vaccine Controversy
Imagine a smart computer program that learns by reading many books.
Sridhar Vembu, who runs Zoho, thinks that real creativity is like telling a brand new story that isn't in any of the books the program has read.
He says current AI is good at using what it learned but struggles to do things completely outside of that learning.
He compared AI to game computers, saying that while games like chess have rules, the real world is much messier, and AI might find it hard to be creative in that mess.
Vembu also caused a stir by suggesting that giving many vaccines to young children might be linked to autism, urging people to pay attention to this idea.
Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu stated that genuine creativity in AI occurs 'out of the training distribution,' an area where current LLMs struggle.
Vembu suggested that AI models trained on games like chess or Go might be limited because games have precise rules, unlike the complex real world.
He noted that AI's struggle with 'out of distribution' tasks might be due to differences between LLM training methods and techniques like Monte Carlo Tree Search used in game engines.
Software code shares some characteristics with games, suggesting techniques from game engines could be applicable in software development.
Vembu also claimed there is increasing evidence linking the number of vaccines given to young children to a rise in autism, urging parents to take the analysis seriously.
- Who
- Sridhar Vembu, Founder and CEO of Zoho
- What
- Vembu discussed limitations of AI in true creativity and also made controversial statements regarding vaccines and autism.
- When
- The post on AI was shared on November 1, 2025. The vaccine controversy occurred in the past week.
- Where
- Online, via posts on X (formerly Twitter).
- Why
- Vembu believes current AI models are limited by their training data and expressed concerns about the impact of numerous childhood vaccinations.
Sridhar Vembu's Stance
General Scientific and Expert Consensus (Implied)
AI and Creativity
Sridhar Vembu's Stance
True creative work is 'out of the training distribution,' and LLMs struggle with this compared to game engines like those for chess or Go, which use different methods.
General Scientific and Expert Consensus (Implied)
While AI is advancing, the definition and extent of its 'creativity' and its ability to operate 'out of distribution' are subjects of ongoing debate and research within the AI community.
Vaccines and Autism Link
Sridhar Vembu's Stance
Vembu believes there is increasing evidence linking the number of vaccines given to young children to a rise in autism and urged parents to take this analysis seriously.
General Scientific and Expert Consensus (Implied)
The scientific and medical consensus, based on extensive research, is that there is no link between vaccines and autism. Studies that have suggested such a link have been widely debunked as fraudulent or methodologically flawed.
- Name
- Sridhar Vembu
- Title
- Founder and CEO, Zoho
- AI Creativity Stance
- True creative work is 'out of the training distribution,' an area where LLMs struggle.
- AI Model Comparison
- Chess/Go engines use Monte Carlo Tree Search, unlike LLMs, potentially enabling more creativity.
- Games vs. Real World
- Games have precise rules, unlike the messy real world, making them an imperfect training ground for AI creativity.
- Vaccine Controversy Claim
- Stated there is increasing evidence linking the number of vaccines given to young children to a rise in autism.
