#498 Edge AI Meets Global Impact: Dev Aditya on Scaling Learning Without the Cloud

In this episode, host Mehmet Gonullu welcomes back Dev Aditya, Co-Founder of OIAI by Otermans Institute, who returns nearly two years after his first appearance to share an extraordinary update: they’ve built an AI teacher that runs completely offline — even on a 2020 Android phone.

From educating learners in refugee camps to scaling across 17 countries, Dev’s mission is clear: make AI-powered learning accessible to the 750 million people underserved by the internet and modern hardware.

We explore the engineering breakthroughs, the philosophical pivots, and the global partnerships that are making it possible.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Why offline, voice-first AI is a game changer for education in low-connectivity areas

• How Dev’s team runs 3D avatar-based AI on edge devices from 2020 — without cloud inference

• The reason they pivoted away from enterprise clients to return to their impact-driven mission

• Why running AI for the marginalized means solving for both connectivity and hardware bottlenecks

• Their ambitious goal: upskill 750M people by 2030

• The launch of an SDK for other organizations to embed their AI teaching system

• Upcoming partnerships with African governments and UN bodies

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🎓 What You’ll Learn:

• How to scale AI without relying on cloud infrastructure

• What true digital inclusion looks like — beyond donations and broadband

• The importance of philosophy and mission in product decisions

• The future of immersive, voice-first learning experiences

• How to build for constraint — and still scale globally

👤 About the Guest:

Dev Aditya is the co-founder of OIAI by Otermans Institute. He’s known for launching the world’s first public-facing AI teachers well before ChatGPT entered the scene. Dev’s work focuses on democratizing education through AI and edge computing, bringing scalable, impactful learning to the most underserved populations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-adityaofficial/

https://www.portfolio.oiedu.co.uk/

00:00 – Welcome back, Dev Aditya & what’s changed since Episode 212  

02:00 – From rural schools to refugee camps: The origin story  

05:30 – Content vs. teacher: The real challenge in scaling learning  

07:00 – The philosophical misstep and going back to the mission  

09:40 – Monetizing impact: Lessons from enterprise and education  

11:00 – Offline breakthrough: Running AI without internet  

13:40 – Engineering feat: 3D avatar AI on Android 2020 phones  

15:20 – Why bigger models don’t equal better outcomes  

18:00 – Did open-source LLMs influence their vision?  

21:00 – How they handle data, analytics & personalization offline  

23:00 – No patents? Why they’re releasing an SDK instead  

25:00 – The SEA Model: Skills, Efficiency, Accessibility  

27:00 – Building voice-first digital experiences for the underserved  

30:00 – VR + AI for marginalized learners? Already built  

32:00 – Teaching entrepreneurship, not just STEM  

34:30 – An AI teacher that remembers you  

36:00 – What’s next: Kenya, Guinea-Bissau & São Tomé  

38:00 – Final thoughts & how to get in touch with Dev