Fintech founder charged with fraud after ‘AI’ shopping app found to be powered by humans in the Philippines

The phrase “In most pitch decks, AI stands for ‘Anonymous Indians’” is a satirical comment attributed to Naval Ravikant, a well-known entrepreneur and investor, posted on X in 2020. It’s not a literal statement but a critique of certain startups that exaggerate their use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pitch decks to attract investors. The joke implies that some companies claiming to use advanced AI are actually relying on low-cost human labor, often outsourced to workers in countries like India, to perform tasks behind the scenes. This misrepresentation is part of a broader “fake it till you make it” culture in tech, where buzzwords like AI are used to inflate a company’s technological sophistication.

For context, pitch decks are presentations startups use to pitch their business to investors, often highlighting cutting-edge technology to stand out. Ravikant’s quip points to a trend where some automation tech companies might overstate their AI capabilities, when in reality, humans are manually handling processes—like data entry or customer service—that are marketed as AI-driven.

An example mentioned in discussions around this quote is Kiwibots, a delivery robot company, which reportedly used remote workers in Colombia to guide its robots, despite promoting them as autonomous.

The phrase also carries a tongue-in-cheek nod to the skilled but often underrecognized workforce in India and similar regions, who power many tech operations globally. It’s a jab at the disconnect between flashy marketing and the less glamorous reality of some startups’ operations.