Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has a shocking answer to Akshay Kumar’s biggest AI question: ‘What’s the one thing AI can’t copy from humans’ |
In a widely discussed and highly engaging moment at the Nvidia AI Summit 2024 in Mumbai, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar surprised the audience by putting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the spot with what he termed the “biggest AI question” by asking what artificial intelligence could never copy from humans. Their exchange, which unfolded in front of a packed venue of technologists, entrepreneurs, creators, and media representatives, touched on deep topics such as the future of work, global safety, and the irreplaceable qualities of human creativity and judgment. The moment drew applause, sparked laughter, and went viral online, trending across India’s technology, business, and entertainment circles.
Jensen Huang on AI as a partner, not a replacement
Jensen Huang made clear that, although AI is a transformative technology used across many industries, it currently cannot perform any job in its entirety without human involvement. He highlighted that AI is most powerful as an augmentation tool, capable of automating approximately 20 to 50 percent of repetitive or data-intensive tasks.However, humans remain essential for aspects such as creative thinking, moral judgment, and emotional intelligence. Huang gave examples from healthcare, engineering, and film production, noting that AI can increase the speed of processes like diagnostics or rendering, but still depends on human oversight for decisions and final outcomes.He emphasised that the greatest risk is not AI itself directly replacing people, but workers who master AI tools gaining competitive advantage over those who do not. This sentiment, punctuated by Huang’s statement, “It’s not AI replacing you; it’s someone using AI replacing you,” drew a strong response from the audience.
Building AI with safety and trust
When asked whether AI could ever be made completely safe for humanity, Huang compared the challenge to building a safe airplane. Safety, he explained, depends on designing redundant systems, drawing from diverse engineering perspectives, and conducting thorough testing before deployment. Huang stressed the importance of explainable AI, strong ethical design principles, and industry-wide transparency to earn and maintain public trust.He also mentioned active collaborations with research institutions and international regulators to embed safety measures and protocols into all AI development at Nvidia. These efforts are designed to protect against bias, misuse, and unpredictable outcomes, which remain challenges the field is continuing to face.
