Raul John Aju
The 16-Year-Old Building AI in India
Recorded live at the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit 2026. Isha with Raul John Aju, who is 16 and already building AI.
( Overview )
He is sixteen. And he asked me a question I haven't stopped thinking about.
At the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit 2026 in Kochi, I sat down with Raul John Aju — one of India's youngest AI builders — for a conversation I expected to be interesting and found to be genuinely clarifying.
We spend a great deal of energy debating whether artificial intelligence will outgrow us. We spend far less asking who is being trusted to build it, and what they believe while they build.
Raul is already building. Not prototypes for a science fair — AI products addressing real problems. What struck me was not his technical fluency, which is considerable. It was his judgment: a clear sense of what should be built, not merely what can be.
— Dr. Isha Farha Quraishy
( Topics discussed )
( Key moments )
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( About the guest )
Raul John Aju
- AI Prodigy & Founder, AI Realm Technologies
- Founder, ThinkCraft Academy
- Class 12 Commerce student
Raul John Aju is a 16-year-old AI prodigy from Kerala, India, widely known as the “AI Kid of India.” A Class 12 Commerce student, he simultaneously runs an AI startup, has built 15+ AI tools, and has trained close to 500,000 learners globally through his education initiatives.
Largely self-taught in AI since the age of 9, Raul built his first robot at 12. He is the founder and CTO of AI Realm Technologies, leading a team of around 15 people, and operates ThinkCraft Academy, an AI learning platform designed to make AI skills accessible beyond computer science graduates.
His tools include RESQ AI, an emergency-response assistant that guides users through crises and connects them with legal support, alongside MeBot, ZapGap, Investo AI, and FeedFye. He has advised the Kerala and Dubai governments on integrating AI into public services, and has met UN Secretary-General António Guterres at an AI summit.
