IIT-BHU alumnus creates Luna, world’s first AI that can sing, whisper, and convey emotions

India has taken a major step forward in artificial intelligence innovation with the launch of Luna, the world’s first speech-to-speech foundational AI model capable of expressing emotions, singing, whispering, and pausing like a human.

Developed by 25-year-old innovator Sparsh Agrawal under his Jaipur-based startup Pixa AI, Luna directly processes audio to generate expressive, emotionally aware speech without converting it to text.

The result is a natural, real-time conversational experience that mirrors human communication.

Agrawal said his mission is to demonstrate that world-class AI can be built in India.

“Where is India’s AI? Every WhatsApp group, every conference hallway, and every founder call asks the same question. Today, we’re sharing the answer. Meet Luna,” he wrote on X.

Building Luna was far from easy. Agrawal, an IIT-BHU graduate, created the model without access to large corporate infrastructure or deep funding.

“I didn’t have a research lab or a USD 100 million runway. I borrowed GPUs and cloud credits and even took on credit card debt to build Luna,” he said.

Despite limited resources, benchmark results show Luna outperforming leading systems like OpenAI’s GPT-4 TTS and ElevenLabs, with 50% lower latency and more natural speech generation.

Supported by investors such as Kunal Shah, Nikhil Kamath, and Kunal Kapoor, Pixa AI aims to make Luna the voice layer for sectors including entertainment, wellness, and automotive.

Interest has already come from gaming companies, automakers, and AI-driven consumer platforms.

“While most voice models are built for customer support, Luna is built for emotion,” Agrawal said. “It’s not just about responding; it’s about feeling.”

The achievement has drawn praise from Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and industry leaders.

HCL co-founder Ajai Chowdhry described Luna as “an amazing product – India’s first.”

Agrawal, the only solo founder selected from over 15,000 applicants to the WTFund, believes Luna marks the beginning of a new era for Indian AI.

“This is proof that world-class technology can come from India – built with resourcefulness, not just resources,” he said.

Together with teammates Nitish Kartik, Apoorv Singh, and Pratyush Kumar, Agrawal hopes to redefine how people interact with machines, giving technology not just a voice but emotion.