Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Virginia Teen Builds Raaha After Her School’s ChatGPT Ban
Navya Tuteja is a 17-year-old student who built an AI platform called Raaha.
Raaha helps neurodivergent people decide whether a job might suit them before they apply.
Tuteja got the idea partly from her mother’s partial hearing loss and from confusing job advertisements.
She noticed that job listings often explain what employers want but not what doing the job feels like.
Raaha scores listings to give applicants more useful information.
Her school blocks ChatGPT, Claude, and similar tools on its Wi-Fi.
Tuteja says this encouraged her to solve problems herself, especially when studying.
She wrote Raaha’s main algorithm herself but used AI for routine tasks such as website design.
She also built Legible and may eventually run Raaha full-time if it keeps growing.
Navya Tuteja, 17, created Raaha to help neurodivergent job seekers assess job listings before applying.
Raaha scores listings on factors intended to show candidates what the work may be like, not just employer requirements.
The platform had more than 1,000 users and 20,000 listings two months after launch, according to Fortune.
Tuteja wrote Raaha’s underlying algorithm herself and used AI mainly for mechanical website tasks.
Raaha is currently free, while Tuteja is considering payments from employers and workforce organizations.
- Who
- Navya Tuteja, a 17-year-old senior and president of her school’s AI club, built Raaha.
- What
- Raaha is a free platform that helps neurodivergent job seekers assess whether job listings may suit them.
- When
- The platform had more than 1,000 users and 20,000 listings two months after launch; Tuteja is currently finishing high school.
- Where
- Tuteja attends Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia, outside Washington, DC.
- Why
- She saw that job listings often describe employer expectations without explaining what the actual work might feel like, and she wanted to help people judge fit.
Cautious AI Use
Purposeful AI Use
AI in schools
Cautious AI Use
Tuteja avoids AI for schoolwork and learning, particularly in subjects where she will be tested, and her school blocks major generative AI tools.
Purposeful AI Use
Tuteja says banning AI is not the solution and argues that it should instead be regulated appropriately; the OECD says digital tools can support learning when used purposefully and moderately.
AI’s role in projects
Cautious AI Use
Some people may worry that AI-assisted work was largely created by AI, a concern Tuteja says contributes to stigma around such projects.
Purposeful AI Use
Tuteja says AI can be a tool for mechanical tasks while the creator does the substantive work; she wrote Raaha’s underlying algorithm herself and used AI mainly for website design.
- Founder
- Navya Tuteja
- Platform
- Raaha
- Purpose
- Helping neurodivergent job seekers assess job-listing fit
- Early reach
- More than 1,000 users and 20,000 job listings after two months
- Current price
- Free
- School policy
- ChatGPT, Claude, and similar generative AI tools are blocked on the school’s Wi-Fi
- Possible business model
- Employers and workforce organizations may pay to use Raaha or improve job listings
- Related project
- Tuteja also built Legible to translate special-education documents into plain language
