Vishal Sikka: How AI Can Be Used to 'Amplify Humanity'

Two years after Vishal Sikka stepped down as the CEO and executive vice chairman of Infosys, an Indian IT services company, he has launched a new venture in artificial intelligence. Vianai, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup, last week announced its arrival with $50 million in seed financing. Sikka believes AI has the potential not just to transform business but also to "amplify humanity," as he puts it. He sees AI as a force multiplier that can tackle issues ranging from climate change to self-improvement. "I would love to see tens of millions of people to be able to build intelligent systems, and billions to be able to bring basic intelligence into anything that they do," he says. Sikka, who holds a Ph.D. in AI from Stanford University, demonstrated the Vianai platform at a keynote address at the Oracle OpenWorld conference on September 17. Before his tenure at Infosys, he spent 12 years at German software company SAP, where he was last a member of its executive board. Sikka also serves on the supervisory board of the BMW Group and as an advisor at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Intelligence (HAI).