Questions
Help
Questions about the challenges, the tools or submitting. Email initiatives@houstonaiinstitute.com, or ask your mentor on the day.
The challenges
Can we work on more than one track?
Yes. When you submit, pick one main track. That's the one the judges score.
Who is our mentor?
Your team email names your mentors. On the day, mentors are in the room.
We told our mentor a different track.
That's fine. Pick whichever track you're presenting.
Can we use data that isn't on the data page?
Yes, if it's public. Say where it came from, and don't add anyone's private information.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. A no-code tool or a clickable mockup counts. A plan alone scores low on "Does it work?" Good teams also need people who know the problem, can design, and can present.
Tools
Which tools can I use?
Any you like. See the free AI tools. Each one shows its minimum age.
Do I need my own laptop?
Before the event, we'll email everyone to ask who needs a laptop. If you need one, we'll provide it. School laptops often block some tools, so use a personal or provided laptop if you can.
Which Google account should I use?
A personal one, not a school one. School accounts often can't open outside files or use some AI tools.
Do we need to say which AI tools we used?
Yes, on one slide called "AI we used and how we checked it": what you used, and how you checked what it gave you.
Submitting
We lost our team folder link.
Ask HAI staff. Please don't post the link anywhere public: anyone with it can edit your folder.
What happens to our project afterwards?
Every project is shared as open source. See the rules in short.