With AI astrologers now answering millions of queries, Punit Pandey, the tech visionary behind AstroSage, is revolutionising astrology by merging it with AI. In an exclusive chat, he discusses various aspects of astrology, it in the world of AI and more
Astrology, an ancient science deeply embedded in Indian traditions, has witnessed a technological transformation in the past two decades and Punit Pandey has been at the forefront of this change. As the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of AstroSage, Pandey has seamlessly merged astrology with cutting-edge technology, making it accessible to millions. His journey from a child programmer to an innovator in AI-driven astrology is a testament to his vision and relentless pursuit of scalability in this age-old practice.
His relationship with technology began at the early age of ten when he started programming. Over time, his passion for coding evolved into a mission to simplify astrology’s mathematical intricacies. This led him to develop several pioneering initiatives: launching Mobile Kundli, India’s first astrology app, in 2001; introducing AstroSage Cloud, the country’s first cloud-based astrology solution, in 2003 and in 2018, pushing the boundaries further with Bhrigoo AI, an AI-powered astrology platform.
“My focus has increasingly shifted from programming to AI innovation,” says Pandey, as he continues to explore how artificial intelligence can further enhance astrology.
Astrology has long influenced major life decisions in India, particularly marriage, where it plays a crucial role in compatibility assessments. Despite its deep cultural significance, astrology had limitations when it came to everyday decision-making due to scalability issues. Pandey recognized this gap and saw AI as the solution.
“I always believed astrology to be one of the greatest sciences capable of bringing happiness and prosperity to humanity—which is why it was honored as Vedanga, one of the six limbs of the Vedas,” he explains. He highlights how astrology contributes to India’s high marriage success rates but notes that it wasn’t widely utilised for day-to-day decisions due to practical limitations.
He recalls a defining moment in 2018 when AstroSage introduced Bhrigoo AI, an AI-powered astrology assistant. “The launch of our Bhrigoo AI app in 2018 clearly demonstrated AI’s immense potential in astrology,” he says. The real breakthrough, however, came with the emergence of generative AI models like ChatGPT in late 2022. “With these technologies, we can finally make astrology scalable, accessible and beneficial for everyone,” he adds. Transforming astrology into a scalable, tech-driven service was not without its challenges. Traditionally, astrology was an individualised practice, relying on personal consultations. Creating technology that could maintain the precision of personalised readings while scaling to millions required innovative solutions.
“Building AstroSage presented several major challenges. First, astrology was traditionally practiced individually, making scalability difficult. Creating innovative technologies and processes to scale personalised astrological services required significant effort. Second, accessibility was essential; making astrology readily available to everyone led us to pioneer mobile apps and cloud solutions. Third, ensuring astrology remained organised, authentic and trusted demanded rigorous standards and careful quality control.”
Even now, Pandey acknowledges that technological advancements bring new hurdles. “Currently, the high cost of GPUs and computing resources necessary for generative AI continues to be a significant ongoing challenge, pushing us to continually optimize our technology infrastructure,” he notes.
Among all the technological advancements he has worked with, Pandey firmly believes that AI has had the most profound impact on society. While many compare AI’s impact to that of the internet or computing, he considers it even more significant than the Industrial Revolution.
“People often compare AI’s advent with the internet or computing, but I believe its impact will be far greater—even greater than the Industrial Revolution,” he says. “The Industrial Revolution allowed machines to replace muscle power; AI now has the potential to replace or augment creative and intellectual capabilities.”
According to Pandey, AI is not just a tool—it is an evolving intelligence that replicates human thought at scale. “AI replicates the human brain at scale, ushering in profound changes that society has yet to fully understand,” he adds.
As AI continues to influence decision-making, the question of balancing automation with human intuition becomes critical. Rather than drawing strict boundaries, he believes that AI should be harnessed to complement human judgment.
“We’re entering unprecedented territory. AI is essentially a scalable brain—unlike the human brain, whose capacity is fixed, AI continuously expands through increasingly powerful models. The challenge now is not about drawing lines but rather learning how best to harness AI’s capabilities.”
He emphasises that at AstroSage AI, the focus is on refining AI to work alongside human intuition and empathy, rather than replace them. “We need to create an entirely new rulebook, understanding that AI has both intellectual capacity and intuitive potential, but it requires human guidance to use effectively,” he explains.
He had previously worked with organisations like the US Army and Boeing. These experiences, he says, shaped his approach to building tech-driven solutions in astrology.
“Working with these organisations taught me precision, discipline, scalability and how to manage complex systems. These experiences emphasised rigorous execution balanced with bold innovation, shaping my strategic approach.”
While AI-driven astrology is still a relatively new concept, skepticism has been far less than expected. AstroSage introduced AI astrologers alongside human astrologers, offering both at comparable price points.
“Interestingly, skepticism toward AI astrologers has been minimal. To our surprise, within just six months, AI astrologers exceeded human astrologers in overall ratings and user satisfaction.”
He attributes this to users prioritising accuracy and insight over whether the reading is conducted by a human or AI. “Currently, AI astrologers answer over four lakh queries daily, totaling more than four crore queries answered so far, demonstrating widespread acceptance and trust,” he notes.
The rapid advancement of AI raises an inevitable question: will AI astrologers eventually replace human astrologers? He acknowledges this possibility but believes that the key lies in integration rather than replacement.
“If human astrologers aren’t equipped with effective AI tools, there is indeed a possibility of AI largely taking over routine astrological consultations,” he admits. This understanding led to the launch of Kundli AI, a tool designed to empower astrologers with AI-driven insights.
“Just like tools such as Cursor, Windsurf and Bolt enhance productivity in software development, Kundli AI helps astrologers leverage AI effectively,” he explains. “AI and human astrologers are designed to complement each other, with AI managing volume and scalability, allowing humans to focus on deeper, nuanced interpretations.”
As they continue to dominate the astrology space in India, he has set an ambitious goal for the platform—to reach 50 crore (500 million) organic downloads within the next three years.
“Currently, the most popular organic apps in India, like WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube, are foreign. Our ambition is for AstroSage AI to become the first Indian app to reach that global benchmark, aiming to be present on every Indian’s smartphone and expanding our presence worldwide as a leading global tech product.”
For him, this is not just about business growth but about making astrology an indispensable tool in the digital age. By merging tradition with AI, he is ensuring that astrology evolves with time, becoming more accessible, scalable and insightful for the modern world.
