HAI Hackathon 2026Houston AI Institute

Free tools · how to use them

Free AI tools

Use any tools you like. These are free, work in a web browser, and are good for this hackathon. Each card says what the tool is good for, how to start, and who can use it.

Each card shows the tool's minimum age, from its own terms.

Free AI tools may keep what you type. Use only the event data, never personal information.

If you can't install apps, use the web versions. On your own laptop, local tools are fine.

AI tools make mistakes. Check what they give you, and say how you checked on your "AI we used and how we checked it" slide.

Ask questions about your documents

Gemini Notebook 13+

Formerly called NotebookLM. Add documents and web pages, then ask questions. Every answer points to the exact place in your sources. Good for the City of Manvel challenge, with no coding.

  1. Open Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) and sign in with a personal Google account.
  2. Choose New notebook.
  3. Add sources: upload PDFs, or paste a web page link.
  4. Ask a question. Click the numbers in the answer to see where it came from.
  5. Test it with a question your sources don't cover. A good tool says it doesn't know.
Minimum age
13+. Some features are 18+
Account
Personal Google account. School accounts work only if the school turned it on
Credit card needed
No
Source
Gemini Notebook help (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Google Colab 13+

Python notebooks in your browser. Good for loading a CSV file (a simple spreadsheet file), cleaning it, and making charts. Ask an AI chat tool to help write the code.

  1. Go to colab.research.google.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in.
  2. Choose New notebook.
  3. Click the folder icon on the left, then the upload icon, and pick your CSV file.
  4. In the first cell, type these 3 lines, then press Shift+Enter. Change data.csv to your file's name. 
    import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv("data.csv")
df.head()
  5. Uploaded files disappear when Colab restarts or sits idle. Keep a copy in your team folder.
Minimum age
13+. Colab's built-in AI help is 18+
Account
Personal Google account
Credit card needed
No. Extra computing power (GPUs) isn't always free
Source
Google age rules (opens in a new tab), Colab FAQ (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Chat with an AI assistant

Good for brainstorming, explaining a dataset, drafting text, and writing or fixing code. Paste in an error message and ask what it means.

Gemini app 13+

  1. Open gemini.google.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in with a personal Google account.
  2. Type your question. Give it context: who your tool is for, and what your data looks like.
  3. Ask for one small step at a time, then test it.
Minimum age
13+
Account
Personal Google account. Family Link accounts (Google accounts a parent manages) can't use the web app
Credit card needed
No, for the free plan
Source
Gemini requirements (opens in a new tab), Gemini plans (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Google AI Studio and the Gemini API 18+

Try Gemini models, then call them from your own code.

  1. Open aistudio.google.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in.
  2. Try your prompt until the answers look right.
  3. To make a whole app, choose Build and describe it. Apps are private by default, so download the code or send it to GitHub for your team folder.
  4. Get a free API key there. An API key is a password for your code, so keep it secret. Never paste it into slides, a chat or a public repo.
Minimum age
18+
Account
Google account
Credit card needed
No, for the free tier
Source
Gemini API terms (opens in a new tab), Build mode help (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Build, share and present

GitHub 13+

Store and share your code. A repo (repository) is a project folder on GitHub. Every project is shared as open source, so make your repo public.

  1. On github.com (opens in a new tab), choose New repository.
  2. Give it a name and choose Public.
  3. Already made it private? Open the repo's Settings, scroll to the bottom, and choose Change visibility.
  4. Never put passwords, keys or personal information in it. Put keys in a file called .env, and add .env to your .gitignore file before your first commit. In Colab, use the key icon (Secrets) on the left instead.
  5. If a key ever ends up on GitHub, delete that key where you made it and make a new one.
Minimum age
13+
Account
GitHub account
Credit card needed
No
Source
GitHub terms (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Vercel 16+

Put a web app online, with a public link anyone can open. It works well with Next.js apps.

  1. Put your app's code in a public GitHub repo first.
  2. On vercel.com (opens in a new tab), sign up with your GitHub account and pick the free Hobby plan.
  3. Import your GitHub repo as a new project. Vercel gives you a link when it's done.
  4. Put API keys in the project's Environment Variables, never in your code.
  5. Open your link in a private window to check it works for others.
Minimum age
16+
Account
Vercel account (sign up with GitHub)
Credit card needed
No, on the free Hobby plan (personal, non-commercial use)
Source
Vercel terms (opens in a new tab), Hobby plan (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

Google Slides, Sheets and Drive 13+

Your slides, your spreadsheets, and your team folder.

  1. Open your team folder. The link is on your table card.
  2. Choose New, then Google Slides. Or upload a PowerPoint or PDF file.
  3. Name it "Team N slides", with your team number.
Minimum age
13+
Account
Personal Google account
Credit card needed
No
Source
Google age rules (opens in a new tab). Checked Oct 25, 2026

"No, for the free plan" under "Credit card needed" means the tool's own plans page lists a free plan. We didn't sign up to check every sign-up screen.