Editor's note: This year we honored some of the brightest young minds in the Bay Area innovation sector as part of our Inno Under 25 feature. Check out all the profiles from this year's honorees here.
For the past three years, Adrit Rao has been a research intern at Stanford where he looks at ways to use artificial intelligence for addressing various health issues like cardiovascular conditions. Rao has also contributed to published research papers and attends conferences around the world related to that research. He’s also still in high school. The first app he developed was a tool for finding movies and television shows. More recently, he won a Congressional coding challenge for an app he developed called Signer which uses computer vision and AI to translate American Sign Language into spoken English. In total, Rao has developed and launched five iOS apps since he was 12 years old. All of his apps are managed under a non-profit organization called Arètech which he founded in 2020 to run Learn 2 Code 4 Kids, a week-long coding bootcamp for other students around the world.
Fact Box:
- Age: 16
- Residence: Palo Alto
- Education: Palo Alto High School
- Role: Arètech founder and Stanford research intern
- What he does: As a high school student, Adrit Rao is running a non-profit, developing iOS apps and researching AI at Stanford.
How did you become interested in technology and AI?
I started coding when I was eight years old. And during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine time, when I had a lot of spare time, I actually wanted to pick up a new programming language. And I really wanted my code to come to life, and also to make an impact or difference in the world. AI was something I learned about through the news and seeing how AI was being applied in medicine, it was something that I was interested in. How AI has the potential to save lives and help doctors diagnose diseases. I contacted a professor at Stanford when I was 13, and to my surprise, he actually took me on as an intern.
How are you thinking about colleges and career paths?
My dream school has been Stanford. I’m so passionate about this intersection of technology and healthcare. And I’m really happy that some of my projects have the potential to make an impact.
What do you do for fun?
I actually fence. That’s the sport I love. And then also just hanging out with friends and playing basketball.
Do you have a favorite social media app?
LinkedIn. I’ve made a lot of great connections through working with various people.
