The Temple AI Build Challenge is a university-wide build experience. Student teams work on real problems submitted by Temple students, faculty, staff, and university units, or they propose their own. Over ten days, teams define a problem, design a solution, build a prototype, and present it to a panel of judges.
Start with the problem, not the tool.
The problem and the value of your solution come first. AI is an enabling tool. Strong teams understand who they are helping and why, and then decide where AI fits.
Choosing a Problem
Pick a problem from the Problem Bank or bring your own idea. Problems fall into five tracks.
- Teaching and Learning. Course design, tutoring, feedback, assessment, and learning resources.
- Student Success and Wellbeing. Advising, university services, belonging, career development, and access to support.
- Campus Operations and Data. Administrative workflows, scheduling, communication, and service delivery.
- Research Acceleration. Evidence synthesis, data analysis, research administration, and collaboration.
- Open / Wildcard. Your own idea that supports Temple’s academic, research, civic, or community mission.
Whatever you choose, your project should address accessibility and inclusion, responsible AI, privacy and data security, human oversight, and feasibility.
How the Challenge Runs
Wednesday, October 28, Charles Library
Saturday, October 31
Tuesday, November 3
Friday, November 6, 12:00 pm
Friday, November 6, 3:00 pm, Alter Hall
Mentors hold office hours throughout the build days. Use them early and often.
Checkups
Checkups keep your team on track and give you feedback while there is still time to act on it. They are not scored. Send each checkup by email to shiv.hiremath@temple.edu with Subject: “Temple AI Build – [TEAM NAME]”.
- Checkup 1, Saturday, October 31. Your problem statement. Describe the problem, who it affects, and why it matters.
- Checkup 2, Tuesday, November 3. A draft of your prototype and a list of the AI tools you have used so far.
Final Submission
Deadline: Friday, November 6, 12:00 pm
No late submissions accepted. Email your slide deck and a Zip file with your prototype to kbauman@temple.edu with Subject: “Temple AI Build – [TEAM NAME]”. Share large files through a shared folder link.
Your slide deck must include the following slides.
- Problem statement. What is the problem and why does it matter?
- Stakeholders. Who is affected, and who would use your solution?
- Opportunity for AI. Why is AI a good fit for this problem?
- Responsible design. Your team’s approach to accessibility, responsible AI, privacy, human oversight, and feasibility in your case.
- AI use declaration. Every AI tool you used, which version, and for what purpose.
Use the rest of the deck to demonstrate your solution and describe a realistic path to implementation, including the budget, time commitment, and support it would need. You may also submit anything else that helps your demonstration, such as a prototype link, a short demo video, or a code repository.
Demo Day
Each team gives a 3-minute presentation, followed by one question from the judges. The 3-minute limit is strict. Presentations end when time is up, so rehearse with a timer and focus on the problem, your solution, and its value to users. At least one team member must attend and present. Ideally, the whole team presents together.
Judging Criteria
A panel of judges from Temple and industry scores every presentation on seven criteria. The required slides line up with these criteria, so a complete deck covers everything the judges look for.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Importance and understanding of the problem Is the problem real and significant? Does the team understand its causes and the people affected? |
20% |
| Value to users and Temple’s mission Would people actually benefit? How does the solution serve Temple and its communities? |
20% |
| Appropriateness and creativity of the solution Is AI the right tool here? Is the approach thoughtful and original? |
15% |
| Quality of the prototype or demonstration Does the prototype work well enough to show the core idea? |
15% |
| Feasibility and potential for continued development Is the path to implementation realistic in budget, time, and support? |
15% |
| Responsible AI, privacy, accessibility, and human oversight Has the team considered risks, protected data, and kept people in control of key decisions? |
10% |
| Clarity of presentation Is the story clear, focused, and delivered within the time limit? |
5% |
Prizes and Beyond
The top three teams win $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000. IBIT may also select promising projects for continued development on campus. See Prizes for details.