The product direction
Kartikey is a connected AI-companion initiative exploring how a useful home assistant can operate with more intelligence on the device while using cloud models only when the task genuinely requires them.
The product direction is designed for the Indian market, where language diversity, privacy, connectivity, hardware cost, and support for existing smart-home devices are central product constraints rather than secondary considerations.
The problem
Mainstream voice assistants depend heavily on cloud infrastructure and ecosystem lock-in. A new independent product must offer a clear reason to exist while remaining commercially realistic in a cost-sensitive market.
Kartikey approaches this through a hybrid architecture: local command understanding and device control for frequent tasks, combined with cloud-assisted reasoning for complex requests, long-running automation, and richer conversations.
System direction
- On-device handling for common commands and home-control intents.
- Indian-language interaction and multilingual routing.
- Cloud offload for complex reasoning and heavyweight tasks.
- Home-automation orchestration across supported device ecosystems.
- Local privacy controls and reduced dependence on continuous connectivity.
- Modular hardware architecture for different performance and price tiers.
- Companion software for setup, routines, permissions, and device management.
- A path toward personalized behaviour without surrendering user control.
Hardware research
The project has evaluated embedded compute and edge-AI options available in India, including local board vendors and Jetson-class hardware. The hardware direction must balance model capability, thermal and power requirements, supply-chain reliability, and a retail price appropriate for the market.
Product strategy
Rather than attempting to replace every existing smart-home ecosystem immediately, Kartikey is being explored as an intelligent local hub that can extend and coordinate compatible devices while differentiating through Indian-language support, local execution, and deeper automation.
Current stage
Kartikey is in research, architecture, and prototype planning. Current work focuses on the local-versus-cloud intelligence boundary, supported hardware, language models, device compatibility, and the economics of a scalable product.