US-based Indian entrepreneur develops software to build career plans based on genes

Silicon Valley: An Indian entrepreneur has set a startup to build a software which will develop a 10–15-year career plan for young children based on the analysis of their genes taken from saliva, arguing it will help build the nation's talent in the right way.

Mohamed Mustafa Saidalvi from GenesandYou, a biotechnology company based in Mumbai, said that the software based on the analysis of their genes will help customise school curricula and plan the career path of children much in advance.

“Every child has a special calibre and special talents. To understand this talent, from genes, we can get the right understanding. Based on that, we are putting a 10-15 year career growth plan and talent plan. So, this is our new startup,” Saidalvi, who is currently in Silicon Valley to take his startup to the next level told PTI in an interview.

The education system in India and all over the world is basically teaching everything to every child. At a later stage, some countries do aptitude tests and psychometric tests to understand the capacity of children. Based on that they decide on the career of the children, Saidalvi said.

“We don't know what the child is capable of. To understand that, from the gene, we take a complete mapping and put a complete roadmap. We can build a better India. It's a nation-building process. Through this particular process we can build the right talent in the right way,” Saidalvi said.

Saidalvi is currently based in San Francisco leading the AI-based project focusing on personalised education, health, and wellness.

Responding to a question on artificial intelligence, Saidalvi said that it definitely will cut a lot of jobs.

“No doubt. It will really change the way people work, people see, people learn. So the governments all over the world have to come up with strategies towards that,” he said.

At the same time, he said, this technology really gives a lot of opportunities. “In India, we say power is with the people. Power is with the people only during the election, after the election, there is no power. It is all with the MPs and MLAs. So the new technologies such as decentralised, autonomous organisation, blockchain, AI, all these can be leveraged to continuously give the power to people not only during the election but after the election also,” he said.

“People can use this technology to be part of the parliamentarian processes and legislation processes,” Saidalvi said.