Agentic AI Challenge

This spring, the Kautz-Uible Economics Institute is excited to launch its first AI competition, exploring a central challenge:

How can agentic AI reshape the way we ask – and answer – economic questions?

Students are invited to build original AI agents that tackle real economic problems using creative ideas, smart automation, and clear connections to how economists think about markets, policy, and decision-making.

Please note:

Submissions due by 11:59 pm on Monday, March 9.
The top five entries will present on Wednesday, April 1 at Lindner Hall.

Read the FAQ | Read the Rubric | View Sample Video Submission

Here does it work?

Form a team, design an AI agent, and explain what it does and why it matters. To be considered, teams must submit a short video and supporting materials that demonstrate both the economic purpose and technical design of their agent.

Who is eligible to participate?

Teams may include 1-4 University of Cincinnati students, and at least one member must be an Economics or Business Economics major.

What do teams need to submit?

Each team must submit the following materials through the official submission form:

Agent Documentation:
- A single Markdown file named Claude.md or Agents.md describing the agent’s design, economic rationale, and implementation.
Video Presentation
- A 5–10-minute video explaining the agent’s economic application, how it works, and the key insights it produces.
Agent Output Artifact
- An artifact representing the output of your AI agent (for example: analysis, visualization, report, or interactive tool).

How will submissions be judged?

Submissions will be evaluated in four categories:

Originality
Economic Relevance
Sophistication & Complexity
Quality of Video Presentation

Each category will be scored on a 0–10 scale, for a maximum possible score of 40 points.

How do teams submit?

Teams must submit their materials using the official submission form linked below. You will be asked to provide view-only links to your video, documentation, and agent output. Please ensure all links are accessible without special permissions.

Submit

FAQ