University of Canberra Alumna Jyoti Joshi's AI Start-up Provides AV Data for the Metaverse

Just four years after receiving her doctorate from the University of Canberra, Australia, AI scientist Dr Jyoti Joshi co-founded the ground-breaking tech start-up Kroop AI (Artificial Intelligence). 

Kroop AI's sophisticated audio-visual deep learning-based platform. Artiste AI generates high-quality videos featuring digital avatars created from audio or text input, providing users with a simple yet powerful platform for creating digital human-based talking videos in multiple languages.

As Jyoti explains, Kroop AI aims to become the "voice of the metaverse." Jyoti mentioned that they realised a significant market opportunity when they came across former US President Barack Obama's synthetic video.

Based on their experience in computer vision and machine learning, they worked on data generation and detection. They are creating an ethical audio-visual synthetic data generation platform for B2B use cases.

And so, the Artiste AI Studio was born. A cloud-based, easy-to-website-based editor contains a library of digital avatars so realistic-looking you might mistake it for an actor that can be programmed to say precisely what you need it to. Another dimension of Kroop AI is its ability to detect harmful deepfakes.

With enhanced tech capabilities, there also comes greater responsibility. Through its VizMantiz API, our platform enables organizations to detect unethically-generated synthetic media to prevent misuse, Jyoti explains.

Jyoti arrived in Canberra in 2010 and started a teaching and research assistant position at the University of Canberra, working with Professor Roland Goecke. Inspired by her work there, she later applied for a PhD position with Professor Goecke as a supervisor.

In her experience, she also added that while trained under Professor Goecke, she learned that methodological research and persistence were the keys to cracking research problems. She also learned AI problem-solving, which was handy when she started Kroop AI.

Under Professor Goecke's guidance, Jyoti developed her knowledge and capabilities, and the opportunities provided by the University of Canberra allowed her to grow as a budding scientist. Jyoti said that the networks she established during her graduate studies at the University of Canberra also helped.

Although Jyoti's career shot to exponential heights just a few years after the completion of her doctorate, her path hasn't been free of challenges; Jyoti worked extremely hard to bring her vision to life and establish herself in a predominantly male-dominated industry.

 Jyoti also added that her journey had not differed from other working mothers. It's been the same struggle with little kids as with other moms. But planning and communicating with her teammates has always helped. According to her - Persistence is the key. There may be times when the wind may seem to blow against you, but everything is temporary. And in all the hustle, don't forget to take good care of yourself.

Before moving to Australia, Jyoti worked with Cadence Design Systems in India, where she was lucky to work in an established and supportive organisational culture. So, when she began studying at the University of Canberra, she had the confidence and leadership to support and connect with the other female students in her faculty.

Jyoti started a Girl Geek Club to provide networking and support for women pursuing careers in STEM – an initiative widely supported by students and faculty members. Jyoti believes in raising our voice when we need improvements around us in the most critical aspect to begin making change. In a memorable career highlight, Jyoti represented India at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

India has been named the first 'Country of Honour' at Marche du Film de Cannes, which runs parallel to the Festival. As part of the delegation, five start-ups were chosen to represent the content generation work in the country.

"Kroop AI was chosen for its innovative use of Artificial Intelligence for audio and visual data generation both for real-world data and the metaverse, she added. For Jyoti, it was her privilege to represent her country at such a prestigious international event.