By Manish Sunthwal, Sr. TPM | Startup Tech Leader | Building AI Product
💡 The AI Buzz Is Everywhere — But Not Everyone Can Afford It
AI is transforming industries globally — automating tasks, enhancing decision-making, and improving productivity. But here’s a truth I’ve come to realize through years of working with tech teams and now building my own AI product:
AI, as we know it today, is not built for Indian small businesses.
The flashy AI tools we hear about daily — ChatGPT, cloud APIs, AI CRMs — all require constant internet, expensive subscriptions, and advanced digital maturity. That’s just not the reality for a kirana store in Warangal, a freelance consultant in Indore, or a real estate agent in Vijayawada.
I believe the future of AI for India lies in being offline-first.
📱 What Does “Offline-First AI” Even Mean?
Offline-first AI means giving users the power of AI on their mobile device, without needing constant cloud access.
Think about this:
- Voice-to-text even in a remote area without 4G?
- Smart contact insights generated right on your phone?
- Notes summarized instantly — with no data charges?
That’s what I’m building with BotMate.AI, and it’s what I believe millions of Indian SMB owners truly need.
🧩 The Challenges AI Faces in the Indian SMB Context
From my experience working at Amazon and mentoring multiple startups, I’ve seen how tech often skips the last mile. Here’s why the current AI wave isn’t reaching the masses:
- Patchy Internet: Most Indian SMB users don’t have 24/7 access to fast and stable data.
- High API Costs: Calling OpenAI or Google APIs isn’t sustainable at scale.
- Data Privacy Concerns: Uploading customer data to the cloud isn’t always desirable or compliant.
- Complex UIs: Most tools are not designed with mobile-first, vernacular-first experiences in mind.
These pain points need to be solved locally — both technically and in spirit.
🔍 Why On-Device AI Is the Future
Advancements in TinyML, on-device LLMs, and optimized vector search now make it possible to build powerful AI models that run completely offline. Technologies like:
- Whisper.cpp for offline voice transcription
- TinyLlama for summarization on-device
- FAISS + SQLite for local vector search
- React Native + TinyBase for mobile-first offline apps
The ecosystem is ready. The only thing missing is focused solutions for Bharat.
💬 My Vision: AI That Works Without Asking for Permission (or Internet)
I’m building BotMate.AI with a very simple philosophy:
“AI should assist you, not charge you every time you need it.”
Small business owners should be able to:
- Capture leads via voice, even offline
- Get follow-up reminders automatically
- Search past notes and interactions without waiting for a sync
And most importantly, they should be in control of their data, device, and decision.
🚀 What’s Next?
In my upcoming blogs, I’ll dive deeper into:
- The tech stack I’m using (and why)
- Voice-to-text + summarization pipeline on mobile
- Building in public: From prototype to launch
If you’re a tech enthusiast, AI engineer, or SMB owner — I’d love to hear from you.
👇 What’s your take? Do you think India is ready for offline-first AI?
Drop a comment or DM — let’s connect and build for Bharat together.
✅ Follow me to stay updated on my AI product journey. I’ll be sharing weekly blogs and behind-the-scenes
#AIWithManish #AIExplained #OfflineAI #BotzMateAI #TechForIndia #AIForSMBs