Ontario Tech Students Shine in National AI Competition
Three talented students from Ontario Tech University have demonstrated their ability to merge technology with important social issues by achieving a top-five finish in a national pitch competition.
Anupriya Dubey, a fourth-year student in Computer Science, joined forces with her classmates Mosarrat Rumman, a master’s candidate in Computer Science, and Nishtha Desai, who is also in her fourth year studying Technology Management. Their project focused on how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can be utilized to improve educational experiences across Canada, especially in rural areas and Indigenous communities.
"We wanted to tackle the challenge posed by the Design for Change competition held at Wilfrid Laurier University," Dubey said. "Our main goal was to address limited Internet access in rural Canada and to aid in preserving Indigenous languages through technology."
Together, they developed an innovative platform called EduLine (short for Education Offline), which is designed to work even without an Internet connection. This project not only showcases their skills but also highlights their readiness for future careers in the tech field.
The team’s diverse backgrounds enriched their approach to problem-solving. Rumman remarked, "We were able to bring multiple viewpoints to the table, which helped us in our brainstorming sessions." They received guidance from experts at the National Research Council of Canada, which proved invaluable in refining their ideas.
Desai pointed out one significant hurdle: "We needed to make sure that our AI model was capable of running on low-resource devices without needing high-end specifications or continuous Internet access." Their solution was to create a lightweight, efficient AI that could function offline.
The design of EduLine aims to bridge the digital divide, promoting coding education and Indigenous language preservation while ensuring that learning remains accessible to everyone.
Judges provided positive feedback on their work, highlighting the team’s thorough research into the educational challenges faced by remote communities and the importance of their solution. One judge noted, "Your project addresses a critical gap in education and connectivity with a thoughtful and practical solution."
As they continue their studies, Dubey, Rumman, and Desai are excited about the impact their project could have on learners in underserved areas and are eager to contribute to positive change in the world.
