Nurturing childrens’ curiosity: How Naman and Nischal Jain are building a safer way for children to engage with AI

Rapid advancements in smartphones, smart-home devices, and AI have made it easier than ever to access information. But the very accessibility that’s driven adoption has led parents to question the best way to introduce this technology to their children. 

While open access to information makes it easier for children to explore new things, it can also expose them to inappropriate content and remove them from in-person interactions. 

When babysitting his seven-year old nephew one afternoon, Naman Jain recognized that the information being given to his nephew by Alexa was being communicated as if for adults, confusing and frustrating his nephew. Naman wondered if there was a way to design a device that would allow children to use modern technology to explore their curiosities while also building parents’ trust.

Introducing Bunny: A safer way for children to nurture their curiosities

Just four months later, Naman and his brother, Nischal, are working with a child development expert to build Bunny, a smart walkie-talkie that enables children to explore their interests without having to navigate screens and apps. With both hardware and software designed for children from the onset, Bunny enables parents to give their children access to information without compromising safety. 

Although modern technology has made it easier than ever for children to access new information, many parents are hesitant to give young children hardware devices such as smartphones and tablets. These devices are built primarily for adults, and parents often don’t have complete visibility into how their children are using them. 

Bunny offers an alternative. Designed for children between the ages of three and eight, Bunny enables kids to interact with modern chat experiences by pressing a single button, making it possible to source information, navigate challenges, and answer questions without touching a screen. Bunny also shares usage data with parents by default, making it easy to understand children’s interests and behaviors.

Naman and Nischal’s journey to Bunny

When taking some personal time after his previous startup, Naman spent an afternoon babysitting his nephew. Naman overheard his nephew ask Alexa a question about a fictional character he was interested in. Alexa provided a poor, complex answer, leaving his nephew frustrated and confused. Naman then prompted ChatGPT to answer the same question, but to phrase the answer appropriately for a seven-year old. The answer was much better, which led Naman’s nephew to continue exploring the topic.

Naman and Nischal recognized that children's innate curiosity is both powerful and delicate. When encouraged with clear, age-appropriate information, it can spark a lifetime of learning and creativity. But when met with confusing responses, that same curiosity can quickly turn to frustration and withdrawal. They knew that if they could design a device that makes it easy for children to explore their curiosities with the power of modern technology, they could help the next generation nurture their interests and possibly grow up to do what they love. 

After developing a prototype, Naman and Nischal are now scaling production and beginning to sell Bunny walkie-talkies to families in their local community. As they look to the future, Naman and Nischal are aiming to complement device interactions with real-life value-adds, such as bespoke curiosity boxes aligned to children’s interests and in-person informational events.

Naman’s advice for fellow founders

After founding companies across sectors from B2B SaaS to children's consumer electronics, Naman emphasizes that to be successful in the long run, founders must build in an area that they’re passionate about. 

There are so many pressures to focus on the next “hot” area in the world of startups, he explains. But to be successful, you need to aim for something higher than money. “If you’re doing what you have a passion for, making money will be an outcome of that.” 

He recognizes, however, that identifying this passion is not always easy. But for today’s generations and in the future, it will be critical. “In a world where almost everything is done by AI, what are we going to spend our time on? It will be helpful to know what we are truly passionate about.”