Infosys' Narayana Murthy trashes AI, calls it 'silly old programs,' questions ongoing global boom

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy isn’t buying into the artificial intelligence (AI) craze sweeping the world and has categorically dismissed the ongoing AI wave as nothing more than ‘silly old programmes’ repackaged for the sake of a trend.

Murthy, who was at the TiE Con Mumbai 2025, further noted that it has become more of a fashion to label everything as AI, even when many of the technologies are just ordinary algorithms dressed up as AI.

“I think somehow it has become a fashion in India to talk of AI for everything. I have seen several normal ordinary programs touted as AI,” he said.

Murthy also broke down the fundamentals: the distinction between machine learning and deep learning. He explained that machine learning is about recognising patterns in massive datasets, helping predict outcomes through correlation, while deep learning mimics the human brain, enabling systems to generate new responses by handling unsupervised algorithms. 

“So unsupervised data, which uses deep learning and neural networks, has much greater potential to do things that mimic human behaviour better. But what I am seeing being called AI is silly, old programs,” Murthy explained.

Addressing the age-old debate on AI replacing jobs, Murthy acknowledged that technological shifts inevitably make some roles obsolete but insisted that if used wisely, AI could unlock new economic opportunities.

Infosys market moves and shift in workplace

Murthy’s family’s 4.02% stake in the IT giant dipped to ₹26,287 crore on Wednesday, marking a ₹6,876 crore drop from mid-December’s peak. 

Meanwhile, it was reported that Infosys employees are facing new workplace mandates. In an internal communication, the company has asked certain employees, particularly those at Job Level 5 (JL5) and below to report to the office at least 10 days a month for better collaboration. This affects team leads, software engineers, senior engineers, system engineers and consultants.

The development came closely after Infosys rolled out much-awaited salary hikes, with increments ranging from 5-8%, with top performers receiving hikes up to 12%.

The Bengaluru-based IT giant, with a workforce of over 3.23 lakh, is rolling out salary hikes in two waves. Announced during its December quarterly results, the first phase kicked in on February 24, benefiting employees in bank JL6 and below, while the second phase is set to follow in April 2025.

Infosys reported 11.4% rise in Q3 FY25 net profit reaching ₹6,806 crore, from ₹6,106 crore in the same period of the previous year. Revenue saw a steady climb of 7.6%, reaching ₹41,764 crore in the October-December quarter, up from ₹38,821 crore a year ago. The company raised its FY25 revenue guidance to 4.5%-5% in constant currency, up from its earlier projection of 3.75%-4.5%, while keeping its operating margin steady at 20-22%.

Murthy’s journey began with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mysore in 1967, followed by master’s in technology from IIT Kanpur in 1969. The 1970s took him to Paris, where he designed an operating system for managing air cargo at Charles de Gaulle Airport.