Status
Challenge Status: Challenge is Active. This challenge is part of the Junior Academy and not open for general application.
Application Status: Open to Junior Academy Members
Key Dates
Challenge Begins: 02/23/2026
Challenge Closes: 04/26/2026
Solutions Due By: 04/26/2026
Winners Announced: 05/20/2026
Eligibility
- This challenge is open to all Junior Academy students.
- Maximum of six (6) students per team, plus one (1) mentor.
Overview
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we live, learn, and connect with the world around us. From making everyday tasks safer and more efficient to unlocking new possibilities in education, healthcare, and the arts, AI holds enormous promise. Yet alongside this potential come real concerns—bias, privacy, environmental impact, AI over-reliance, and misinformation and disinformation being presented as facts.
Human Centered AI is a design approach that believes that the best-use cases for AI prioritize human needs, values and wellbeing, which can be centered in sectors like education, the arts, medicine and technology at large. AI can be a tool to improve and augment what we can do, rather than replace humans altogether. How can you design a solution that improves human quality of life in a specific sector while also minimizing or eliminating the challenges and risks of AI?
Challenge
Design an innovative solution that centers humans in the use of AI in a particular sector (education, medicine, art, finance, etc.). Solutions should focus on quality of human life and ensure that AI technologies augment human roles rather than replace them.
Consider the following when designing your solution:
- What sector will your solution address?
- Who will be your target audience, stakeholder, or AI user?
- What specific risk or challenge will your solution mitigate or address?
- How will your solution increase quality of life for humans?
- How could your solution be applied equitably to improve the quality of life for the greatest number of humans?
- Will your solution be technological, educational, policy-driven, or something else?
- What might be the cost of your solution? Will it be affordable for your focus audience?
- What kinds of jobs might be added to the economy to support your solution?
- How can you use available data and research to inform or test your solution?
- How will you prototype your solution?
- Could your solution be expanded to other sectors that use AI?
See the challenge course syllabus.
Success Evaluation Criteria
Solutions will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Innovation and Design Thinking: Is the design and approach unique and/or innovative? Does the design show a high degree of originality and imagination?
- Scientific Quality: Are the appropriate references and analytical methods used and are the insights derived correctly?
- Presentation Quality: Is this concept concisely and clearly explained? Are the findings/recommendations communicated clearly and persuasively?
- Commercial Viability/Potential: Does the solution have the potential to make a difference?
- Sustainability: What is the social impact on local communities? How does the solution incorporate positive environmental or social objectives? Is the solution in line with a sustainable or justice focused future?
- Teamwork and collaboration: Was the experience a collaborative endeavor? Was the knowledge gained from the experience reflected upon and tied back to a civic engagement mindset? (From Personal Reflections)
See the challenge rubric.
Sponsor
