‘Failing at their job’: Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on programmers submitting AI-generated code without reviewing it

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has shared an account of how he currently uses artificial intelligence, describing it as a powerful tool for learning and critical thinking. At the same time, he warned against becoming overly reliant on it.

In a post on X, Vembu called himself a moderate to heavy user of AI, and went on to outline his thoughts on its strengths and limitations.

According to Vembu, AI has proven to be a far superior learning aid than traditional web search. “My web search has gone down 80% as a direct result,” he wrote, explaining how AI helps him learn faster.



He also highlighted how AI serves as a “good debating partner”, adding that he often takes the output from one AI and asks another to critique it. This, he said, helps deepen his understanding.

However, his praise for the technology came with some strong warnings.

He advised against using AI to create new content. “AI can help customer support agents do their work faster but it is unwise to let AI replace human agents. It is also unwise for a human to copy-paste AI text and send it to a customer, hiding the fact that it came from AI.”

On the topic of programming, Vembu stressed that any AI-generated code must go through thorough checks for compliance, privacy, and security. These checks, he admitted, are “neither easy nor fun for humans to do”.

He also opined that programmers who submit AI-generated code without carrying out these checks are “failing at their job”. He went so far as to say that AI could sometimes slow down the development process.

Vembu then encouraged Zoho programmers to use AI as a tool for learning and exploration, rather than as a shortcut for generating unchecked content or delivering code.

He concluded by saying the company is “running a lot of experiments” and that his perspective may shift over time as “facts change on the ground”.