Meet India AI Wonder Kid Raul John Aju Who at 16 Pays His Father 2 Lakh Rupees Monthly Salary as Startup Mentor

While most 16-year-old students are preoccupied with school board examinations and college entrance prep, Kerala teenager Raul John Aju has built a thriving enterprise in artificial intelligence, earning recognition across tech circles as the AI Kid of India. The Class 12 Commerce student has launched around 15 AI-driven applications, trained over 500,000 learners, and established an unconventional family business structure where his father works for him on a monthly salary of 2 lakh rupees.

Raul's fascination with technology began at the age of 9 through self-directed coding and digital experimentation. By 12, he had built an AI-powered humanoid robot named meBot. He later went on to establish AIRealm Technologies, serving as its founder and Chief Technology Officer to develop applied artificial intelligence products such as Rescue AI, NyayaSathi, and ThinkCraft. His educational initiatives, including ThinkCraft Academy, focus on demystifying artificial intelligence for students, educators, and working professionals without traditional computer science backgrounds.

The most talked-about dynamic of Raul's startup journey remains his professional relationship with his father, Aju Joseph. Rather than a symbolic family payroll, the arrangement leverages his father's extensive corporate tech background—spanning senior engineering and managerial roles at global giants like Amazon, Adobe, Wipro, and IBM—to provide strategic mentorship, operational discipline, and technical oversight to the young venture.

Raul's work has taken him to international speaking stages, delivering 8 TEDx talks and presenting sessions at IITs, universities, and major technology summits including GITEX Dubai and the Economic Times Global Business Summit. He was also invited to speak at the United Nations on artificial intelligence and child online safety, meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

With an online audience exceeding 500,000 followers, Raul continues to manage his commercial tech ventures alongside his higher secondary schooling, demonstrating how hands-on experimentation outside traditional curricula is enabling young innovators to build competitive technology solutions.