MUMBAI: Even as India sharpened its focus on artificial intelligence at a recent national AI summit, an 18-year-old commerce student from Navi Mumbai has quietly scripted his own global tech milestone.
Jeet Santosh Bhaskar, who is yet to complete Class 12, has independently built and launched BrontoAI, a consumer-facing artificial intelligence platform that went live on the Apple App Store on January 25 and is now accessible in 175 countries.
What sets the journey apart of a Kharghar (Navi Mumbai) boy is that he has no formal education in computer science.
Bhaskar identifies himself as founder and CEO of Bronto Intelligence, a parent entity currently under process of incorporation, which oversees BrontoAI and MSPConnect — platforms positioned at the intersection of artificial intelligence and applied economics.
“I had no formal coding background. I don’t communicate much socially. On October 15, my father gave me a MacBook, and that became my primary medium of learning and building,” Bhaskar said.
BrontoAI is positioned as a human-centred AI platform rather than a utility-driven chatbot, giving it a distinct advantage for both Indian and international users. Unlike many global apps that deliver rigid, command-based responses, BrontoAI focuses on emotionally aware, context-sensitive conversations that feel closer to natural human interaction.
From farm economics to AIHis entrepreneurial journey began with MSPConnect in October 2025 after he studied pricing gaps affecting farmers. The platform was conceived to improve awareness of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and enhance market transparency.
Encouraged by the response, Bhaskar began work on BrontoAI, dedicating nearly four months to developing the application. He said he handled the coding architecture and product development independently, while also managing the technical review process with Apple.
“I undertook online courses and taught myself coding. My way of learning is step by step. I used a split screen — one side for learning and the other for implementation — and that’s how I mastered the process,” he said.
A human-centred designUnlike conventional AI tools that prioritise structured outputs, Bhaskar claims BrontoAI has been designed to communicate in a natural, Gen-Z-native tone that is emotionally aware and context-sensitive.
According to him, the platform offers human-like language flow, realistic audio interaction and detailed image generation, with the aim of creating a more intuitive user experience.
Academic groundingAlongside his technology pursuits, Bhaskar has focused on economics. He said he has authored two research papers — one examining the gap between MSP awareness and realised selling prices among farmers in Maharashtra, and another on shadow pricing based on perceived affluence.
His father, Santosh Bhaskar, said the teenager completed eight advanced economics courses simultaneously and has secured undergraduate admission offers from eight universities abroad.
Looking ahead, Bhaskar said he aims to explore the convergence of economics and artificial intelligence.
“I want to pursue advanced research in economics while building scalable, human-centred technology platforms from India,” he said.
For global users, the app’s strength lies in its Gen-Z-native language flow, realistic voice interaction and advanced image generation, making it intuitive across cultures and age groups without requiring technical expertise. Its design philosophy prioritises how people think and feel, not just what they ask, allowing smoother communication for everyday problem-solving, creativity and learning.
From an Indian perspective, BrontoAI’s economic and social grounding enables it to understand developing-market contexts—pricing sensitivity, behavioural economics and real-world constraints—areas often overlooked by Western-centric AI tools. This makes it equally relevant for users in emerging economies and mature markets.
By blending applied economics with AI, BrontoAI aims to offer smarter, more empathetic responses, positioning itself as a globally accessible platform that feels less like software and more like a thinking digital companion—an approach that differentiates it in an increasingly crowded global AI ecosystem.
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