UT AI Business Club
AI in Business Innovation Challenge #1
Open to all currently enrolled University of Tennessee students.
Registration Deadline: October 23, 2026
THe challenge
If you were building an AI-powered student organization from the ground up today, what would you build?
Your challenge is to design and demonstrate an AI-enabled platform for UTK AIB.
We aren't looking for another website.
We want you to rethink how an AI-powered organization should operate. How OUR AI Business Club Should operate!
- How should members exchange ideas and develop projects?
- How should the club capture and preserve knowledge?
- Could AI connect students with similar interests, skills, and ideas?
- Could AI agents help members research, collaborate, and find opportunities?
- How does the organization preserve what it learns when students graduate?
- And how do you build all of this so that it can grow while remaining affordable and easy for future students to manage?
That's your challenge.
AI in BUsiness innovation challenge!
Build something useful. Show us how it works. Show us where it could go
Open to all currently enrolled University of Tennessee students.
Price money issued per team submission not per person.
Registration Deadline: October 23, 2026
what could you build
That's up to you.
Your solution might include:
AI + Knowledge
- AI agents or assistants
- Searchable club knowledge
- AI-generated meeting summaries
- Research resources
People + Collaboration
- Member profiles
- Skills and interest matching
- Mentorship connections
- Project team formation
Ideas + Opportunities
- Idea sharing and development
- Project management
- Internship and career opportunities
- Event and speaker information
Continuity + Growth
- Knowledge transfer between student leaders
- Connections to existing AI platforms
- Low-cost scalable infrastructure
- Tools future students can easily manage
These are ideas — not requirements.
Surprise us.
We expect students to identify possibilities we haven't thought of.
who can compete
Any currently enrolled University of Tennessee student.
- Compete individually or as a team
- No limit on team size
- All majors and degree programs welcome
- You do not have to be a member of UTK AIB
- You do not have to be a programmer or AI expert
- Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged
Business + Technology + Creativity + AI
Bring together the people you think can build the best solution.
Competition information
Official Competition Rules
Before registering, please review all the complete competition requirements, judging criteria, and submission requirements listed below.
- Final Submissions are due:
- Friday, November 13, 2026
- Submit to:
- [email protected]
- Email subject:
- AIB UTK Challenge Submission – [Team Name]
Questions may also be directed to [email protected].
WHAT WILL YOU SUBMIT?
A Written Concept Paper.
Yes, you can use AI! The paper should explain:
- The problem you're solving
- Your solution
- How someone would use it
- Where and how AI is being used
- AI models, agents, APIs and other technologies used
- How the technologies work together
- Implementation and ongoing operating costs
- How the solution can scale affordably
- Privacy, security and governance considerations
- Where you could take the solution next
A Demonstrable Solution:
Show us how it works. Your solution may be a working prototype, AI agent, application, no-code/low-code solution, interactive prototype, integrated workflow, or other demonstrable proof of concept. It does not have to be production-ready. But it needs to be more than an idea. It must be able to be implemented with today's available technology.
If your submission is in the top 5, you will be asked to do a Virtual Presentation:
Finalists will present their solutions live online in late November and answer questions from the judging panel.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Ability to Grow & Scale at Low Cost
Can the solution grow without becoming expensive?
Practical Value to UTK AIB
Would club members actually use and maintain it?
Meaningful Use of AI
Is AI fundamental to the solution?
Innovation & Creativity
Did you rethink the problem?
User Experience & Ease of Adoption
Will people actually want to use it?
Technical Execution & Feasibility
Can it work in the real world?
Presentation & Demonstration
Can you clearly explain and show your solution?
We're not necessarily looking for the solution with the most technology.
We're looking for the smartest solution that your club can implement today.
important dates
- OCTOBER 9
Challenge Launch.
The competition begins.
- OCTOBER 23
Registration Deadline.
Register yourself or your team.
- NOVEMBER 13
Final Submission.
Written concept paper and solution due.
- LATE NOVEMBER
Final Presentations.
Selected teams present and demonstrate their solutions live.
- EARLY DECEMBER
Winners Announced
DON'T BUILD WHAT YOU THINK WE WANT TO SEE.
Build what you believe the AI in Business Club of the future needs!
- Challenge our assumptions.
- Experiment.
- Use AI.
- Keep it affordable.
VDCO DATA IS Proud to Sponsor
VDCO Data is proud to sponsor the AIB UTK — the AI in Business Club at the University of Tennessee.
The AIB's goal is to help students understand, use, and prepare for the growing role of artificial intelligence in the business world. The club seeks to create a collaborative environment where students can develop practical skills, explore emerging technologies, network with professionals, and participate in projects that enhance career readiness.
VDCO Data shares that commitment to practical, real-world AI education.
Through this partnership, we want to give students opportunities to learn, build, experiment, collaborate, and apply AI to real-world problems.
