Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu reflects on AI’s impact on human identity: ‘AI may pose a serious challenge to our self-worth’

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has triggered a wide ranging discussion on artificial intelligence and human purpose after sharing his thoughts on how AI may reshape people’s sense of self worth. Taking to X, Vembu reflected on how technological progress could challenge traditional ideas of value tied to productivity and economic output.Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu shared thoughts on AI challenging economic notions of self worth. (Image via Twitter)In his post, Vembu wrote, “If our notion of self-worth comes from the economic value we add, or if it comes our intellectual pretense (cough), AI may pose a serious challenge to our self-worth. On the other hand no one takes up activities like taking care of children, teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coming back to farming leaving a well paying job, going into the forest as rangers because they love the forest, local temple priests who do the daily rituals even when no one shows up at the temple, classical musicians who practise daily and perform for even very small crowds, none of them do it because those activities pay well. They will be unaffected AI. Humanity may organize itself more towards such activity.”Take a look here at the post:The post quickly gained traction online, garnering more than 95,000 views and prompting users to reflect on how artificial intelligence could redefine work, identity and purpose in the coming years.Social media reacts to AI philosophySeveral users joined the conversation, offering diverse perspectives on whether AI would replace human roles or simply reshape them. One user commented, “The world is not perfect. Just look around and you’ll see how many things can be done better. Cities can be rebuilt. The new jobs will solve new problems for humanity, that we have had to live with because the alternative was not there or expensive.”Another wrote, “When the ‘economic value’ of a task drops to zero, the intrinsic value is all that remains. Time to re-evaluate what we’re working for.” Echoing concerns about adoption, a user added, “Still thinking if how an AI will become the part of a daily life of every human. Because there are such mentioned activities where human efforts matter more than an AI.”Some responses highlighted automation risks. One comment read, “Many such physically laborious tasks can also be automated humanoids. With AI plus humanoids, almost any job can be automated.” Others took a more philosophical stance, with a user writing, “AI doesn’t challenge human worth. It challenges the idea that market legibility equals value.”Another widely shared reaction stated, “AI isn’t just a threat to jobs; it’s a threat to ego. One cannot optimise caregiving, spiritual practice, art etc as AI thrives on efficiency; humanity thrives on presence.”