He is just 16, still in Class 12, pays his father Rs 2 lakh a month and has trained 5 lakh students: Meet India’s AI prodigy Raul John Aju who has already met the UN Chief

Most 16-year-olds ask their parents for pocket money. Raul John Aju pays his father a salary of Rs 2 lakh a month. That single fact, so simple, so completely unexpected, captures everything that makes Raul’s story one of the most remarkable things happening in India right now. Not just in the world of technology. In the world, full stop. From the quiet town of Pathanamthitta in Kerala comes this remarkable 16-year-old, still a Plus Two Commerce student at North Edappally GHSS, who is already an AI teacher, developer, employer, and lecturer. He runs a startup with 15 employees, has trained nearly five lakh students worldwide, and has built 15 AI tools that are solving real problems for real people. He has also, just recently, met UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He did all of this before he finished school.

The nine-year-old who taught himself AI

Raul was nine years old when he began teaching himself artificial intelligence. Not in a special school. Not with a tutor. By himself, with curiosity and a phone and the kind of focused determination that most adults cannot sustain. The turning point came when his father got a job at Adobe. “I gained free access to all the premium tools, which allowed me to learn about AI,” Raul told UN News. “After that, I created my robot, known as MeBot, for a school science project.” That school science project became the beginning of something much larger.Largely self-taught, Raul built his first robot at the age of 12 and has since developed over 15 AI tools. He has advised the Kerala and Dubai governments on how to integrate AI into public services. He has spoken at major technology companies and international conferences. And he has built a social media following of five lakh people on his account, “Raul the Rockstar.”

Why he hired his own father

Raul’s father, Aju Joseph, is not a small name in the corporate world. He has worked for Amazon, Adobe, Wipro, and IBM, companies that most professionals spend entire careers trying to get into. And now he works for his son. When asked why he brought his father into the company, Raul’s answer was both practical and surprisingly self-aware. “I can gain as much knowledge as I want from my phone, but I don’t have his experience,” he said. “He has worked for companies like Amazon, Adobe, Wipro, and IBM, so I can learn from him. Also, to be honest, it was good for my marketing.” He is 16. He already understands the value of experience he does not yet have. And he is not too proud to hire someone who can teach him, even if that someone is his own father.

ThinkCraft Academy, learning AI like a game

Raul’s startup, AI Technologies, runs ThinkCraft Academy, where students from IITs, IIMs, top foreign universities, and corporate institutions pick up AI skills as easily as playing a game on their phones.Deccan Chronicle The philosophy behind it is straightforward: AI should not be intimidating. It should not require a computer science degree or years of technical training to understand. It should be accessible, to students in villages, to professionals in offices, to anyone who wants to learn. Through ThinkCraft, Raul has trained nearly five lakh students worldwide. The reach is genuinely global, with remote employees from around the world contributing to a venture that started in a Kerala household.

The AI tools solving real problems

Among the 15 AI tools Raul has built, RESQ AI stands out for its purpose. “If you’re involved in an emergency situation, the tool will tell you what to do, and which laws apply. It will connect you with a lawyer and also help the lawyer to craft a strategy to win the case, by looking at thousands of similar cases,” he explained to UN News. Other tools include MeBot, ZapGap, Investo AI, and FeedFye, each designed around a specific real-world need rather than built simply to demonstrate technical capability.

From Pathanamthitta to the United Nations

Raul’s achievements have led to speaking engagements at major technology companies and invitations to international conferences, including the 2026 India AI Summit in New Delhi, where he was introduced to Amandeep Gill, the UN Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He has also been shortlisted as a finalist for the World Education Medals 2025, a global competition founded by HP to spotlight innovative work using artificial intelligence to transform education and close learning gaps, with finalists from 12 countries. Behind his achievements are his parents, Aju Joseph and Sheba Ann, who have seen their son grow from a curious kid experimenting with AI into a global youth icon.

The message for every Indian child and parent

Raul John Aju did not come from privilege. He came from curiosity. He did not have a roadmap. He had a phone, free access to Adobe tools, and a mind that refused to stop asking questions. He is 16. He employs 15 people. He pays his father. He has met the UN Secretary-General. And he is still in Class 12. From the peaceful streets of Pathanamthitta to the halls of the United Nations, Raul John Aju’s journey proves that innovation has no age limits. The future of India’s AI story is being written by a teenager in Kerala. And he has only just begun.