At 16, Indian AI prodigy Raul John Aju pays father Rs 2 lakh salary

Dubai: Sixteen-year-old Raul John Aju has an unusual answer to what he wants to do after school: he is already building an artificial intelligence business while studying in Class 12 Commerce.

Known as the “AI Kid of India”, the Kerala teenager has attracted attention for developing AI tools, training people in the technology and turning his interest in artificial intelligence into a startup. One of the most talked-about aspects of his journey is that his father works for him and receives a monthly salary of Rs 2 lakh.

Raul has spoken about the unusual family-business arrangement and the responsibilities that come with running a company at such a young age. His father’s professional experience, including work with companies such as Amazon, Adobe, Wipro and IBM, has also given the teenager an experienced mentor within his own company.

Raul recently appeared at the Manorama News Conclave 2026 in Kochi, where he joined actor Gouri G Kishan and MLA Fathima Thahiliya for a session on Gen Z. Speaking about his generation, he highlighted how young people today have unprecedented access to information and are increasingly willing to question things they disagree with rather than simply accepting established norms.

His interest in technology began when he was around nine. He initially explored areas such as video editing before becoming increasingly interested in AI. He later developed MeBot, a robot designed to interact and communicate in his voice, initially as a school science project.

Raul studied as a Plus Two Commerce student at North Edappally GHSS while simultaneously pursuing his interest in artificial intelligence. His LinkedIn profile describes him as the founder and CTO of AIRealm Technologies, where he works on AI products, experiments and practical technology solutions.

Through AIRealm Technologies Pvt Ltd, Raul has developed a range of AI projects and tools. Profiles of the teenager have reported that he has created around 15 AI tools and trained nearly five lakh people in AI.

Among his projects is JustEase, an AI-based initiative developed in collaboration with the Kerala government to help people access information and make decisions during emergencies. He has also worked on Rescue AI, which aims to provide emergency guidance, information about laws and access to legal assistance.

His work has taken him to major technology forums. In 2026, Raul appeared at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, where he interacted with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and spoke about the role of young people in the AI era.

While his story has drawn attention because a teenager is paying his father a salary, Raul’s journey is also a story of early exposure to technology, family support and entrepreneurial ambition. At an age when most students are preparing for their final school examinations, he is balancing his Class 12 Commerce studies with running an AI company and developing technology to solve real-world problems.