A chance encounter on a Vande Bharat train recently gave Congress MP Shashi Tharoor a front-row seat to the future of Indian tech. During his journey, Tharoor found himself in an "illuminating" conversation with Raul John Aju, a 16-year-old from Kochi who isn't just a student, but the founder and CTO of AIRealm Technologies.
Known as the "AI kid of India," 12-year-old Raul is attempting to solve one of the biggest problems in today's technologies – the unavailability of effective speech recognition for regional languages in India.
Currently, AI models are English-centric worldwide, but this young prodigy is developing algorithms for Malayalam, Hindi, and Urdu languages.
In a video Tharoor shared on X, the two are seen diving deep into the ethics and direction of artificial intelligence. When Raul asked if India needs its own dedicated AI, Tharoor pointed out that while AI should transcend borders, the real necessity is for it to "speak the vernacular" of a land as linguistically diverse as ours.
The dialogue took a charmingly human turn when Raul talked about his team that includes his friend Ishaan. Tharoor couldn’t resist a joke and said, “I also have a son named Ishaan. He wouldn’t have been able to do that in his home.”
Reflecting on the meeting, Tharoor noted that seeing such ambition in a high schooler makes him incredibly optimistic about the country's technological path. It wasn't just a political figure meeting a constituent; it was a veteran lawmaker being briefed by a teenager on how to make the digital future more inclusive for every Indian, regardless of the language they speak.
Also read: Tharoor reacts to KKR releasing B'deshi pacer Rahman from team
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