By Govind Choudhary
Publication Date: 2026-01-04 08:31:00
Aravind Srinivas, the chief executive of AI search startup Perplexity, has said that artificial intelligence systems are still fundamentally dependent on humans to define what problems are worth solving, arguing that curiosity and question framing remain beyond the reach of machines.
Speaking on a recent podcast with writer and entrepreneur Prakhar Gupta, Srinivas stressed that while AI excels at solving, optimising and verifying solutions, it does not independently identify meaningful problems. The episode was released earlier this week.
“AI could help humans solve an existing problem but it is very different from AI solving it autonomously,” Srinivas said. “I think the edge would lies with the humans because it was a human who identified the problem in the first place.”
‘The spark remains human’
Srinivas challenged the idea that AI systems possess genuine curiosity, describing it as a distinctly human trait that drives scientific breakthroughs and intellectual progress.
“Did AI pose a question and try to go to solve it? No,” he said. “The curiosity of the human that led to even considering that it is important for them to think about conjecture.”
According to Srinivas, no AI system to date has demonstrated the ability to ask fundamental questions purely out of curiosity, a limitation he believes defines the current boundary between artificial and biological intelligence.
He added that while AI can outperform humans in specific tasks, recognising what truly…
