Diana awardee Aanya Rao’s Art Connect is brightening up the lives of patients in Singapore
Written by: Amrita Priya
(August 7, 2022) While accompanying her father to health centres during his second kidney transplant in 2018, fourteen-year-old Aanya Rao did not appreciate the dull hues of the space. “They should be bright enough,” to infuse some positivity into the minds and lives of the people already in a sombre mood, she thought.
Struck by the absence of vibrancy, the youngster delved into research on the impact of art in the healing process. It was then that the idea of Art:Connect germinated. “For many patients, special needs children, healthcare workers, and senior citizens hospitals and care centres have almost become like home. It is very important for them to have a vibrant and positive environment,” she tells Global Indian, while connecting from Singapore.
Aanya Rao, founder Art:Connect
From hobby to purpose
Aanya had always been in love with art, learning the nuances of fine arts since the time she was a seven-year-old. It was during the hospital visits with her father that she realised that the hobby can be utilised for a larger purpose. In 2020, she laid the foundation of the student-led body Art:Connect, and since then, the teenager along with 40 plus student volunteers studying in schools and colleges of Singapore, have been working in tandem to put their artistic talent to good use. To eliminate the starkness of the white walls, they coloured them up with murals in health care centres, displayed their handmade creations in exhibitions to raise funds, and organised art workshops and competitions for patients and senior citizens.
A mural by Art:Connect team at Vanguard Healthcare, Singapore
The Art:Connect team also conducts art workshops for mothers and their children suffering from lysosomal storage disorder, and diseases like phenylketonuria, thalassemia and osteogenesis. They have organised exhibitions to spread awareness about organ donation, dementia and mental health, and have been making greeting cards to brighten up the lives in hospitals during festivals. “While we started with brightening up walls, our initiative branched out into other areas connecting art with well-being,” says the teenager.
The team finds immense satisfaction in the fact that their creativity has not only got an audience but has been replacing gloominess with vibrancy. With their slogan, ‘Art can, and will, heal the world’ they have been leveraging the “healing power of art” to brighten lives of not just those who are suffering but also of the healthcare workers and caregivers who work in the emotionally, physically and mentally draining environments.
Art:Connect organised a special workshop in collaboration with Rare Disorders Society Singapore (RDSS)
Future ahead
To keep on adding a healing touch is what Aanya never wants to lose focus of. The 16-year-old, Class XI student of NPS International School Singapore, is working on succession planning and building the next step of leadership as she comes closer to her foray in the world of university education.
The Art:Connect team collaborates with about 500 students across schools of Singapore for special projects. “Moving on from a core team of five, I will play a more advisory role,” informs the teen about her non-profit’s future plan.
Art:Connect’s organ donation awareness exhibition in collaboration with National University Hospital, Singapore
A STEM lover, Aanya plans to pursue either biotechnology or bioengineering in college. A trained Bharatnatyam, Kathak and ballet dancer, she ‘absolutely loves art’, and finds working for Art:Connect a great stress buster.
(July 10, 2024) For a boy who has just turned 18, Ashish Kumar Verma has accumulated a lifetime of experiences. At eight, he learned to write with his left hand due to circumstances and has come a long way, inspiring many with his multifaceted achievements. Due to his innovative science and technology projects Aashish has had the opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister and President of India that helped strengthen his determination to be of use to the society. “I have not only met the Prime Minister twice but also shared the stage with him as an anchor during Pariksha Pe Charcha,” he tells Global Indian. On another occasion, the winner of Rashtriya Bal Vaigyanik Puraskar showcased one of his science projects to the Prime Minister, at an event. This presentation also led to a discussion where the Prime Minister suggested the idea of an app to control students' screen time. Inspired by this, Ashish has launched NamasteScreen, an app designed to help students become more focused. [caption id="attachment_38560" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Ashish with PM during Pariksha pe Charcha and with President at Rashtrapati Bhavan[/caption] Adding to his impressive list of experiences, the youngster had the opportunity of visiting the Rashtrapati
o control students' screen time. Inspired by this, Ashish has launched NamasteScreen, an app designed to help students become more focused.
[caption id="attachment_38560" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Ashish with PM during Pariksha pe Charcha and with President at Rashtrapati Bhavan[/caption]
Adding to his impressive list of experiences, the youngster had the opportunity of visiting the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raksha Bandhan, where he gifted a Rakhi to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. He also witnessed the launch of Chandrayaan 3 in the presence of the Union Minister of State in the Department of Space, Jitendra Singh. "Such opportunities have been humbling and inspiring. They have increased my appreciation for our nation's leaders, cultural traditions, and technological prowess," he says.
His scientific acumen has also earned the Delhi based youngster a fully funded trip to Japan as part of the Sakura Science Program. With three research papers and numerous awards and speaking opportunities to his credit, Ashish won a bronze medal and a cash award of Rs 50,000 at the WorldSkills national championship. He also secured second place at the national-level Microsoft Fastest Coder Hackathon, winning a medal. Having cleared JEE this year, he is all set to join IIT-Delhi to pursue a bachelor's in engineering.
NamasteScreen
In 2022, Ashish created the project 'AR Prayogshala,' aimed at accelerating the implementation of NEP 2020. The project has already garnered over 25,000 users. His teachers at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Delhi have also utilised it to create content for the PM eVidya Channel.
During Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2024 Aashish had the opportunity to showcase his project to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who presided over the event. During their interaction, PM Modi suggested developing an application to help students reduce mobile phone distractions, decrease screen time, and improve focus.
"The conversation inspired me to create NamasteScreen," Aashish says. "It's more than just an app; it offers a complete screen makeover to reduce distractions and increase focus. The project is being developed as open-source and is currently in the alpha-testing phase.
"Developers from all over are contributing to create this launcher for anyone looking to overcome phone addiction," he adds. "This collective collaboration helps us achieve our goals faster and allows us to directly address the needs and concerns of our target users. We are actively collecting feedback through an open GitHub repository where users can raise issues and request features."
In love with technology
Ashish had developed an interest in working with computers at a young age, which sparked his early passion for programming. Although he will be joining IIT-Delhi soon, he has been at the prestigious institution before. As part of Code Day Delhi, an initiative by Hack Club - an international organisation promoting scientific culture among youth and partially funded by Elon Musk - he participated in an event that encourages young people to build innovative projects.
During this event, Ashish and his team created a real-life human interaction AI. “This AI can engage in conversation and perform various tasks, functioning like a super-intelligent assistant. It's not just a concept—it's a working system,” he mentions.
[caption id="attachment_38563" align="aligncenter" width="573"] Ashish at IIT Delhi[/caption]
He not only won the Code Day Delhi award but also had the opportunity to showcase his AI innovation at Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2024, where it was used to welcome the Prime Minister of India upon his arrival. “The AI greeted the Prime Minister, demonstrating its capabilities in a high-profile setting using facial recognition technology,” he shares.
Just before the launch of Chandrayaan 3, Ashish had scored a perfect 10 in the Space Innovation Challenge organised by NITI Aayog and ISRO. For this challenge, he designed a spacecraft for a Mars mission capable of accommodating humans. “I named it KDMMH (Kyunki Dil Mein Mars Hai - Because Mars is in the Heart), inspired by the movie 'Mission Mangal',” he tells.
A memorable trip to Japan as part of Sakura Science Program
As part of a cohort of 63 talented students from across India, Ashish had the opportunity to visit Japan thanks to his successful project AR Prayogshala. It's an experience he cherishes not just for the learnings but also for the camaraderie that developed while travelling and staying together in a hotel.
Organised by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, the Sakura Science Program is an international youth exchange program that invites young people from across the world to Japan for a short period. This opportunity enables young scholars to learn about leading-edge science and technology and interact with scientifically inclined young minds in Japan.
[caption id="attachment_38564" align="aligncenter" width="717"] Ashish Kumar Verma with the cohort from India at Sakura Science Program[/caption]
Growing up as a fan of Doraemon and Shin-chan, Ashish excitedly shares how he saw houses similar to Nobita's from Doraemon and ate Shin-chan's favourite choco chips. “It was like living out scenes from the anime I watched as a child,” he remarks.
One of the highlights of the event was attending a lecture by Nobel Prize winner Hiroshi Kitagawa. They also visited several labs at Kyoto University, which further ignited Ashish’s passion for STEM. “This experience made me realise that I want to combine technology and pure science to create innovative solutions, as I believe true breakthroughs now lie in interdisciplinary approaches,” says Ashish, who also visited Tokyo and Osaka during the trip. He soaked in the diversity that the two bustling cities offered in comparison to the calmness of Kyoto, ending with a feeling of being 'in two different worlds.'
“We visited many pilgrimage sites and temples. The experience was so surreal, it felt like being in a movie. Later, we explored various scientific institutions. I was particularly impressed by our visit to the RIKEN Science Centre, where we witnessed a real-life 'invisible frog' experiment - the frog was only visible under blue light, reminiscent of the movie 'Mr. India',” he remarks.
[caption id="attachment_38578" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Ashish during his Japan trip[/caption]
Although the opportunity clashed with another prestigious offer to visit Oxford University, Ashish chose the Japan trip instead. “The event aligned more with my future goals,” remarks the youngster who has lived in different parts of the country owing to his father’s transferable job.
The trip culminated in a cultural performance where members of each country showcased their culture. “I was selected to give the closing speech. We had just five minutes to showcase India's rich and diverse culture through our performance. The Japanese hosts and other international delegates particularly enjoyed our presentation.”
Rising above odds
Ashish is a great example of rising above odds. In 2014, a tragedy struck. Through sheer willpower and support from his parents, Ashish persevered. “When I was eight, my right hand was caught in a lift. The following year was a blur of hospital stays, five to six operations, and numerous minor surgeries. I struggled to perform basic tasks, and writing became a challenge. Throughout it all, my parents, though worried about my future, never let their tears show. Instead, they fuelled my spirit with motivation,” he recalls.
He learned to write with his left hand and honed his motor skills by learning to play the piano. His determination didn’t stop there. “I trained rigorously and clinched a gold medal in Taekwondo. My passion for puzzles led me to set a national record of 17 seconds in a Rubik’s Cube championship. At 12, I won my first hackathon, followed by the top prize in a Google competition and victories in over 10 more hackathons,” he adds.
[caption id="attachment_38569" align="aligncenter" width="721"] Ashish with Sara Kemp, Vice President, Intel Government Affairs and Gokul V Subramaniam. Intel India President[/caption]
Venturing into freelance work and founding his startup, AI Navya, Ashish started exploring the world of AI, working on innovative projects that fetched him the Rashtriya Bal Vaigyanik Puraskar and a trip to Japan.
The multifaceted youngster has been invited to speak at prestigious events including Google DevFest in Noida, the INTEL AI Student Community platform, and the National Apprenticeship Awareness Workshop organised by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), among others.
“Throughout my journey, I have been blessed with great mentors who have guided and supported me. Our real treasures are our parents, teachers, and mentors who nurture and believe in us,” he signs off.
(Jun 4, 2023) Three years ago during the time of lockdown when shooter Tilottama Sen’s father had introduced the idea of shooting to her, she had thought he was talking about film shooting. He wanted the then eleven year old to stop ‘wasting time’ in mobile games and cartoons. Since he had tried his hand at shooting during his college days in Nagaland, he thought that it would be a productive way to keep his daughter engaged. “When he said shooting, I thought that movie-wala shooting and I was like 'no way! I don't know how to act!" Tilottama said laughing during an interview. In just three years from then, the youngster has come a long way. This year she won a bronze medal for India at the women’s 10mn Air Rifle competition, at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. [caption id="attachment_30628" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Tilottama Sen[/caption] Getting introduced to shooting "The only time Tilottama had picked a gun before her father introduced the idea of shooting to her was at an event at his office where the employees’ families were also invited. Along with other fun activities, there was a balloon-popping competition which Tilottama had enjoyed
t="Indian Sports | Tilottama Sen | Global Indian" width="700" height="842" /> Tilottama Sen[/caption]
Getting introduced to shooting
"The only time Tilottama had picked a gun before her father introduced the idea of shooting to her was at an event at his office where the employees’ families were also invited. Along with other fun activities, there was a balloon-popping competition which Tilottama had enjoyed and had even won.
During the lockdown when her father took her to the shooting range in Bengaluru’s Electronic City she found it interesting but was not very hooked.
"In my first six months, I was still not serious about the sport. I used to go, I used to come back," she said. "But then I got my first kit, then I moved onto a better [range] rifle. Slowly, I saw the improvement."
After six months of training the youngster watched an interview of Olympian Apurvi Chandela who said she was training under coach Rakesh in Bengaluru. Since Tillotma hails from the city she got in touch with Rakesh who helped her hone her skills further.
Tilottama made rapid strides thereafter. Her win at International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Cairo stands as a testimony to her hard work and dedication under the guidance of her coach.
The impressive journey
Though her father Sujit had thought of shooting as ‘just a nice experience for his daughter’ the more she started getting engrossed in it, the more he realised it’s a costly game. The TechMahindra employee had to dig into his provident fund and retirement savings to invest in Tilottama's equipment. Just the rifle cost was ₹2.65 lakhs. Added to that there were other expenses like a new kit (including shoes and gloves), and new pellets. But he kept on investing, looking at how his daughter’s scores were shooting up one event after another.
[caption id="attachment_30630" align="aligncenter" width="607"] Happy after a good performance[/caption]
Tillotama got so immersed in the love of the game that her daily training increased from an hour to six hours a day.
In her first state meet in 2021, she shot a 396 (out of 400). In her pre-national south zone meet she shot 398 out of 400. The same year Karnataka association conducted another state meet and Tilottama upped her performance with 400/400. "It was amazing," she remarked.
Breaking grounds
In 2022 the shooter performed well at nationals - selection trial 1 and selection trial 2 earning entry into the senior Indian team and winning a silver in the National Games.
However, her journey is not just about spectacular wins but heart-breaking setbacks as well. At her first nationals in 2021 Tilottama had finished 63rd, unsettled by the travel and the newness of the game. At her first international tournament, a Junior World Cup, she had finished 43rd. But during her setbacks she learnt her lessons and surged ahead with the learnings.
The heights that she has reached in her short career so far has been due to her ability to learn from her mistakes and to remain dedicated. "I used to watch my seniors' videos a lot. I have seen the videos of all the Indian team players from 2017-19," she said.
The first international win
Talking about winning Bronze at ISSF World Cup in Cairo the young shooter said, “"I think I managed it really well (in the face of a challenge).”
"The cheek piece on the rifle had broken and the screws in the butt piece (which is at the shoulder of the shooter) had come loose (in the transit)", she said. “I was not able to understand what to change (in the first round).” However later she was able to identify the problem and address it. But due to the initial hiccup she had to be satisfied with a bronze.
[caption id="attachment_30629" align="aligncenter" width="824"] Tilottama Sen after winning bronze in ISEF World Championship[/caption]
Help from Reliance Foundation
The Sen family has managed to get help from Reliance Foundation. Tilottama was the only one in the senior team without a replacement gun in Cairo. A new secondary rifle has got sponsored by the foundation recently.
The foundation has helped in other ways too, taking care of all round development of the athlete under the guidance of experienced coaches, dieticians and psychologists.
Tillotama is all set to make her country proud in the upcoming Asian Games in September. Her ultimate aim is to perform well at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Only three years into the game her journey has just begun.
(July 15, 2023) Akshaya Dinesh fell in love with coding through hackathons. The 24-year-old began her entrepreneurship journey during her time at Stanford University, and is the founder of two startups - Ladder and Spellbound. She went on leave of absence from university and gave up a paid internship at Facebook to concentrate on her entrepreneurial journey, where she felt she would make the biggest impact. Her work mainly involves empowering girls in tech, encouraging them to break stereotypes and helping them gain access to opportunities, training and resources. Growing up in New Jersey, Akshaya began dabbling in coding in early high school, more out of boredom than passion. "The summer between middle and high school, I just was super bored and had nothing to do. My parents encouraged me to try to learn a new field." Her parents had seen the opportunities out there for programmers and told Akshaya to learn Java. "I unwillingly learned Java and hated it," the Global Indian said in an interview. "The first language I learned after Java was JavaScript because I realised Java wasn't enough for me to actually build anything of use." How hackathons changed her life Her big turning point came
rel="noopener">interview. "The first language I learned after Java was JavaScript because I realised Java wasn't enough for me to actually build anything of use."
How hackathons changed her life
Her big turning point came when she discovered hackathons, which happened almost by chance. "I was a math competition for my high school math team and I saw a Major League Hackathon sticker on someone's computer," she recalled, in a podcast. She went home and looked it up, only to find "this whole world I knew nothing about." There happened to be a hackathon coming up in New Jersey and she signed up. Her mother drove her to the event and Akshaya walked in to "a sea of white and Asian boys, pretty much." Clearly, there were very few girls in tech and not much was being done to increase diversity in the space. The spectacle was so daunting she wanted to turn around and go home. To her relief, she found a table of girls and gravitated towards them. "We spent that weekend working on a website together. We were total newbies and didn't win anything, but I was translating the code to Javascript. I loved the entire idea of being able to build a product from scratch in 24 hours," she said.
[caption id="attachment_31926" align="aligncenter" width="410"] Akshaya Dinesh, the entrepreneur working to empower girls in tech[/caption]
Just like that, Akshaya was hooked. She would travel to hackathons every weekend, has attended more than 45 and won a couple of the big ones too. Enthused by her successes, Akshaya attempted to join the Robotics team at her high school. "The male programming lead was so unsupportive, he screamed at me to leave the room. I went home and cried to my mom, wondering what I had done wrong," Akshaya said. She learned later that many people had complained against the young man in question, and it spurred Akshaya to do something about it.
Akshaya decided to launch a diversity initiative within the school. She recruited a few of her peers and over the next few years, the team had organised two hackathons and coding and entrepreneurship training to girls of all ages across the country. "Over 600 girls have been taught by our curriculum," she said. Her big lesson from the experience was that anyone can be an entrepreneur, given the right resources and opportunities. "One group of sixth graders who attended our camp, came from a relatively low income area of New Jersey. They had no coding experience. By the end of our eight-week bootcamp, they had created an Android app from scratch, which they pitched in English to the entire audience." The app was meant to teach ESL students how to speak English. "It's amazing to see how quickly people can grow if they are in a supportive environment," Akshaya says.
Akshaya's own accolades earned her a spot in Stanford University's prestigious CS programme. Her involvement with She++, a social enterprise that works to empower underrepresented groups in technology, helped her land two big internships before college, one at Microsoft and the other at Bloomberg, before she began university. "It was my first time getting to experience Silicon Valley and being in huge tech companies that I had never dreamed of visiting," she explains.
At Stanford University, Akshaya taught two classes - Introduction to Programming and Data structures. She also continued her involvement with She ++, through which she had wonderful experiences. "I wanted to give back and make that experience possible for other women," she said. So, she ran the college version of the Ambassadors programme, although the summit itself was cancelled due to the pandemic. Stanford University provided her with a rich ecosystem to learn and grow, and the CS programme was the right place to be. "It caters perfectly to tech and tech entrepreneurship learning," she said.
Up the social entrepreneurship 'Ladder'
At Stanford, she began brainstorming with a friend who was doing a CS Master's. The pandemic was at its peak then and thousands of people were struggling to find replacements for cancelled internships. The duo put a simple plan in place - matching students with mentors in their field of interest and having coffee chats with them. "That became huge quickly," she said. Lots of people signed up and it was clear they had filled a growing need. This was how Ladder came to be, a community for people in tech to meet, network and help each other grow through collaboration.
"We had a huge list of internships that had come to us at Stanford University," says Akshaya. They put those in the public domain and thousands of students began picking them. She realised that people simply don't have access to the wealth of information and opportunities that she had at an Ivy League university. The Ladder newsletter was gaining traction fast - with 30,000 subscribers in the first month. "We could see there was a problem and wanted to work on it full-time to democratise access to opportunities," she said.
The young entrepreneur was at another crossroads. She had an internship at Facebook lined up, and a CS course awaiting her at Stanford. However, she had also managed to raise funding for Ladder, which gave her the financial freedom to quit her summer job. She also went on leave of absence from her course at university. She recruited a couple of students to help her and the platform was ready in the next two weeks. As her startup grew, she knew more than ever that she didn't want to work in a big-tech company any longer. Working with girls in tech allowed her to see the impact she was making. "I am an impact-oriented person and I wanted a certain kind of gratification that just isn't there at a big-tech company," she says. "With my startup, though, I can build a feature and see people using it in a week. I want a shorter feedback loop."
Challenges
"I realised that the most successful founders have an insane amount of confidence in themselves, their story and the product that they're building," Akshaya explains. As for herself, she often struggled with 'Imposter Syndrome', and to speak confidently to people. It was also intimidating to be in a male-dominated world, where female founders even struggle for funding. She tells her fellow female founder friend’s one thing: "When you enter a pitch meeting, assume that you’re a white male and you have all the same privileges," she remarks. It's part of empowering girls in tech as they struggle in a male-dominated, sometimes unwelcoming environment.
Akshaya is also the founder of Spellbound, which incorporates interactive user experiences embedded inside the body of emails. "My goal is to build an extremely successful large business and sort of prove to the world that you don't need to be a white man to accomplish the same types of success," she says.
(December 14, 2023) Around eight months ago, two teenagers, Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak were both contemplating college plans. Aryan had even received a scholarship from a foundation in the US and anyway, both the teenagers were adept coders and earning a fair bit of money. Enough money, actually to fly to San Francisco and attend conferences, where they were soon crossing paths with some of the Bay Area's tech and VC titans. In comparison, college seemed a lacklustre option. They actually wondered if the experience might hold them back. Why not take a deep dive into entrepreneurship instead? That's how they got to building Induced AI, which, very simply put, presents a solution for businesses to streamline their backend workflow processes using bots. Less than a year in, they have raised $2.3 million in seed funding, and count OpenAI's Sam Altman as an investor, along with Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman. [caption id="attachment_34641" align="aligncenter" width="601"] Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak, the co-founders of Induced AI[/caption] The journey of a lifetime How did the Global Indians come so far, so quickly? For starters, both Sharma and Pathak were learning coding by the time they were 13 years old. They didn't
How did the Global Indians come so far, so quickly? For starters, both Sharma and Pathak were learning coding by the time they were 13 years old. They didn't grow up in the Bay Area or in Bangalore, although they were both based in India. "I would listen to podcasts and read about the AI and tech startup ecosystem. I started writing code very early and was doing remote work when I was still in school," Sharma says. When he could afford it, he made another, very bold move - he bought a flight ticket to San Francisco. "I was going to a lot of events and meeting people and investors, who would eventually become part of the company."
The Bay Area, he found, was very welcoming, even to someone as young as him - it might even have worked in his favour. "Everyone is open to taking meetings," Sharma smiles. He discovered that ambition and hard work do pay, and age doesn't always have to be a factor. Sharma and Pathak also decided that college was off the cards, at least for the moment, even if they could have taken their pick of institutions. Sharma, who seems more given to media appearances and interviews, says his parents were both doctors, who were concerned with his decision but decided to support him.
When they weren't in Silicon Valley, they were writing cold-emails and sending DMs on Twitter. "I have embarrassing emails I sent out at 14," he laughs, during an interview with Varun Mayya and Tanmay Bhat in Overpowered. "I woud say 'I'm a big fan, I watch all your videos, do you have any advice for me'?" He recalls one response, which read, "Don't send emails to people, that's my advice. Go read up and start building things." He had als interacted with Sam Altman during this three year networking period and expressed an interest in working with him, "even as his secretary." OpenAI, he says, "had been releasing papers way before ChatGPT but Sam was too busy then with OpenAI and Helium."
Even in 2022, though, Sharma didn't really know how things would pan out. He was interested in a range of subjects, from AI to Space and Biotech. It was Altman who gave him advice then, saying, "This is all useful but the most high-leverage thing is AI and you will come back to this at some point." It did in fact turn out that way. In early 2023, Sharma and Pathak teamed up to form InducedAI. Now, they are also part of AI Grant, the AI startup accelerator created by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross. Induced AI made it into Batch 1, along with companies like Perplexity, Animato and Replicate.
How does it work?
Induced AI helps businesses automate repetitive tasks typically handled by admin back offices. Users input workflows in English (known as a text workflow), which the AI then converts into pseudo-code for automation. The platform uses bots, each equipped with its own email and phone number for handling tasks like verification processes, including OTPs and other forms of authorization. These bots run on the cloud, ensuring full access without affecting the user's computer. "Say, a company has a 15-member team spending a lot of time on tasks like form filling or data entry, which could typically be outsourced to a backoffice," Sharma explained.
All this works on Chromium-based browsers (like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc.). And none of the work being done is actually visible to the user - for instance, if the bot is running a search operation, the user will not see a search bar with keywords being typed in. Induced AI has modified the browser's rendering engine, which usually turns website code into what you see on your screen, to work better for background tasks. They've tweaked how the browser responds to changes on websites and improved the way it communicates internally and with other systems.
"We control the browser layers remotely, which leads to more reliability compared to running as an extension," Sharma explains. "By controlling the browser, we also control everything that Chrome has access to." This enhanced control allows for more consistent and dependable automation processes.
For example, consider a task like searching for shoes on Google. Induced AI breaks this task into "chunks," then performs 'inference' to determine the necessary steps at each stage. The user just needs to provide the overall task description. Once the steps are outlined, the system autonomously executes the process, from opening the browser to carrying out the search. To the end user, it's akin to giving a command to Alexa to "play my favorite playlist," where Alexa autonomously locates and plays the playlist.
However, Induced AI is tailored for back-office tasks, enhancing business workflows' cost-effectiveness and efficiency. It uses a 'headless' browser operation, meaning the browser works in the background without displaying web pages on a screen. It navigates and interacts with websites, but invisibly. "It's not meant to book a flight ticket or write an email," Sharma says. "It's designed for specific processes and tasks, like generating leads at 9 am every day, or collating insurance claims.
This is done through RPA (Robotic Process Automation), which usses 'bots' to automate repetitive and rule-based tasks within business processes. They emulate human actions and interactions within digital systems, applications and data and can carry out certain tasks as a human user would, following a set of predefined rules and logic. An added advantage is that it is non invasive and easily deployable along with being scalable and flexible.
The path ahead
Aryan now spends much more time in the Bay Area and Induced AI has signed up a handful of small to mid-sized customers, he told Tech Crunch.
"Induced is the definition of RPA 3.0," said investor SignalFire in a statement. "Not only are they taking a huge leap forward in providing true human-like interaction and efficiency, they democratize access by allowing users to describe their workflows in natural language and execute parallel agents any back-office workflow.
(March 9, 2023) Atharva Desai was eight-years-old when he watched his first Formula 1 race on TV, at his Virginia home. He was enchanted. He ran and pressed his face up against the screen. With his sights set firmly on an F1 seat and hopefully, a world championship, the youngster participated in the regional Formula 3 championships in 2022. [caption id="attachment_11211" align="aligncenter" width="875"] Atharva Desai at the Anglesey Circuit in Wales[/caption] A Brit Indian with a need for speed Atharva Desai entered racing before he hit his teens. It's a cutthroat world that required emotional stability far beyond his years, just as much as talent and skill, he tells Global Indian. “Attitude and confidence are important. You never know who is watching you. While talent is the first thing scouts look for, the second round involves testing a person’s confidence and approach to life. They want someone who can endorse them, who will bring their team a good name.” Soon after he watched that first race on TV, his obliging parents took the excited eight-year-old to a go-karting track called the Allsports Grand Prix in Northern Virginia. He failed to meet the height requirements but was back the following year,
pproach to life. They want someone who can endorse them, who will bring their team a good name.”
Soon after he watched that first race on TV, his obliging parents took the excited eight-year-old to a go-karting track called the Allsports Grand Prix in Northern Virginia. He failed to meet the height requirements but was back the following year, determined to practice on his own. He was noticed by the track owner, Francois, who remarked to Atharva’s father that the boy “drives like a young Sir Jackie Stewart” and began teaching him the fundamentals of racing.
“I was 10 when I entered my first junior league,” says the Indian teen racing champ. A rookie, going up against opponents far more experienced than himself, he went on to win the championship, levelling up, and emerging victorious the next year too. “There was the last level left to compete at but my teacher stopped me. He thought I would beat everyone. My adult opponents wouldn’t have been happy about that,” he smiles.
After finishing second at the ROTAX National Race, Atharva was invited to test Formula 4 cars. And he impressed all. “I got blazing times. It got me noticed,” says the Indian teen racing champ who, in search of a good school to study engineering, chose Oxford Brookes College in the UK due to its motorsports curriculum.
At the Young Racing Driver Academy in Virginia, he met Jamie Horner, director, an established name, Horner’s brother, Christian, the British team principal for team Redbull Formula 1. “I became a developing driver to improve my skills, and hopefully race for them in the future,” says the 19-year-old. At the academy in Anglesey, drivers were put on simulators, chosen based on skills and timing. Atharva found out soon enough that F4 cars in the UK are quite different from those in the US. “The American cars are digital, less rigid. They’re not meant for aggressive racing. In the UK, they’re built for aggressive drivers – which is what I am,” says the Indian teen racing champ who re-honed his skills, leaving his mentors impressed.
How Nikki Lauda inspired him
Committed and driven, Atharva Desai is up before 6 am, starting with an hour at the gym. Back home, he cooks breakfast, and heads to class. Unwavering discipline, born of mental fortitude, he explains, “I don’t get angry often. Motorsports, especially, the earlier phases are competitive and full of aggression. You’re getting attacked both on and off the track. So, you learn. If someone provokes me, I think, my goal is to be in F1. My goal is not to meddle with the guy.”
Even his choice of idols is unusual – Nikki Lauda, the legendary Austrian Formula One and three-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion, the only driver in history to be champion for both Ferrari and McLaren. In 1976, Lauda’s Ferrari swerved off the track and burst into flames. “He was pulled out of the car with half his face on fire. He didn’t give up, with dedication and mental strength, he made it through. Nothing could stand in his way,” says the Indian teen racing champ.
All about motorsport
Doing engineering in motorsport technology at Oxford, Atharva is uncommonly mature. “I was raised with Indian values. I understand that a little competition can go a long way,” he adds.
This year, he hopes to join a Formula 3 team in the US. “I have built good relationships there, and they are willing to give me an F3 seat,” says the racer whose connection with Arden Motorsports will continue alongside. “Next year, I start negotiating with Formula 2 teams. I also have to work at getting sponsors to back me,” says the Indian teen racing champ.
The chequered flag beckons
Much of his success, the Indian teen racing champ attributes to his unwavering resolve. “Attitude, confidence and general likeability all count for a lot. Being a race driver requires huge mental fortitude,” says the boy whose daily regimen involves mental training, “I do reaction time testing and I juggle - for balance and skill.”
Racing is an expensive sport, and staying on the track is thanks to the unflinching support by his parents. “I'm motivated by the fact they trust me and know I'm working hard,” says Atharva. He practices on iRacing, a simulation software. “There are actual drivers and scouts on it, so I practice and register for races,” says the teen, who loves to skateboard or decipher the Rubic's Cubes. Music is also a pet passion, “When I have time to spare, I make electronic music on my laptop,” he adds. The Indian teen racing champ’s 3,420 followers on Instagram are fondly called A4Rians, and he regularly updates them on race day highs.
As Youth Ambassador for Quench 66 by AquaKraft Pvt. Ltd, an initiative by the government of Maharashtra, he is also moving forward the mission to provide 50 million litres of drinking water across 500 schools in the state.
Ashish with PM during Pariksha pe Charcha and with President at Rashtrapati Bhavan[/caption]
Ashish at IIT Delhi[/caption]
Ashish Kumar Verma with the cohort from India at Sakura Science Program[/caption]
Ashish during his Japan trip[/caption]
Ashish with Sara Kemp, Vice President, Intel Government Affairs and Gokul V Subramaniam. Intel India President[/caption]
Happy after a good performance[/caption]
Tilottama Sen after winning bronze in ISEF World Championship[/caption]
Akshaya Dinesh, the entrepreneur working to empower girls in tech[/caption]
Aryan Sharma[/caption]
