IBIT

Engages with industry to develop digital knowledge and talent

Current DIF Project

DeepFlow: Transforming Procurement with AI

Bringing Smart Automation to Source-to-Pay Operations

DeepFlow is an advanced procurement intelligence platform that uses natural language AI agents to automate and optimize Source-to-Pay (S2P) processes. With its conversational interface, procurement teams can streamline complex tasks, access real-time insights, and enhance supply chain management with ease. Keze Lin, a Temple Alumni is the founder of DeepFlow.

The Digital Innovation Foundry (DIF) has partnered with DeepFlow to help design user-friendly interfaces that improve accessibility and usability for end users.

Abby Dorotov, a management information systems student, is currently developing the platform’s front-end under the guidance of Manoj Chacko. The project’s main goals are to design intuitive data displays using Figma and build a user-friendly interface based on these designs, ensuring a seamless experience for procurement professionals.

AI Aware Writing Environment (AAWE) Project

Fostering Ethical and Scalable AI Use in Education

The AI Aware Writing Environment (AAWE), founded by Dr. Megan Kane and Stephen Malkowicz, is designed to help students responsibly use AI tools under instructor-set guidelines. AAWE provides instructors with flexible assignment controls and insights into student engagement and AI use, both authorized and unauthorized.

In partnership with the Digital Innovation Foundry (DIF), AAWE is working to enhance its capabilities. Moa Al Balushi, a management information systems student guided by Manoj Chacko, is currently helping advance the project.

Key goals include building a scalable AWS cloud infrastructure for 1,500+ users and improving AI detection and feedback algorithms to ensure high-quality results and academic integrity.

Potluck, An Innovation in Meal Sharing

Empowering Communities Through AI-Driven Meal Sharing

Potluck is a pioneering AI-powered meal-sharing platform founded by Shannon Amspacher, designed to address pressing challenges such as food affordability, social isolation, and the fatigue associated with meal planning. By connecting individuals and communities through shared meals, Potluck fosters both economic relief and social bonds.

The Digital Innovation Foundry (DIF) has partnered with Potluck to support the creation of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that will enable users to begin benefiting from the platform’s unique offerings. Currently, Yuval Shimoni, a computer science student, is spearheading development efforts under the guidance of Manoj Chacko for DIF.

The project’s goal is to thoroughly review the existing development plan for Potluck and collaborate in building a functional, user-friendly MVP app. This partnership represents a crucial step toward launching an accessible, tech-driven solution for meal-sharing and community-building.

Generative AI transparency and predictability

Raghu Sankaran, CIO, Scholastic Inc., an IBIT partner, is working with DIF to investigate the results produced by generative AI solutions to increase transparency and predictability. The DIF team includes Konstantin Bauman, Assistant Professor of MIS, Yan Wang, Associate Professor of CIS, Manoj Chacko, and Munir Mandviwalla.

Sankaran notes that: “There are so many unknowns and facets around Gen AI that that we need to evaluate, so partnering with Temple was a no brainer to help us make progress on multiple fronts simultaneously.”

The goals include evaluating (a) how generative AI responds to different types of requests (b) evaluate the accuracy and appropriateness of the responses, and (c) estimate the factors that contribute to the responses and how that can be used to improve the tool. The DIF team has configured a virtual lab that includes the major Gen AI platforms and generated preliminary results.

Measure and structure dental school student development

DIF is partnering with Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry to implement the PRO platform, to measure, structure, and motivate the professional development of dental students. The DIF team includes Manoj Chacko, Laurel Miller, and Munir Mandviwalla, co-founders of PRO Community LLC, a Temple University spin-off company that arose from the first DIF project.

At Kornberg, according to Dean Amid Ismail: “Student development is a critical part of our mission. Professional development of students can be advanced by PRO that document and allow faculty to measure the professional development and experience of students.”

Currently, an extended soft release is underway, with the platform set to become mandatory for all students starting in fall 2024 (see PRO Platform for more information).