VDS Ideathon 2026

About the challenge Your Mission Using UMass's GenAI platform, design and build a custom AI assistant that addresses a meaningful need for students, faculty, or staff at UMass Amherst. Think about the everyday friction points on campus like navigating academic resources, research overload, mental health support, accessibility, financial aid and imagine how an intelligent, autonomous system could make campus life more equitable and human-centered. The best submissions won't just be technically impressive — they'll be meaningful. Get started 1️⃣ Log in at genai.umass.edu using your UMass SSO 2️⃣ Explore the AI Agents feature (no coding required!) 3️⃣ Identify a real campus problem worth solving 4️⃣ Build, test, and document your agent 5️⃣ Submit your Google Doc before the deadline