Agentic AI Challenge & Workshop

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.

Winning teams receive prizes!

First Place: $4,000

Remaining four teams receive $1,000.

Build Your Skills at our February Workshop

To support students interested in the competition, we will be hosting a hands-on workshop on Saturday, February 7th.

Led by Institute Fellow and AI expert Hamed Namavari (PhD, '19), the full-day workshop will include two interactive sessions focused on understanding and building AI agents, offering practical skills and insights into agentic AI and its applications.

Date: Saturday, February 7th

Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 PM

Location: Lindner Hall, Rm 2245

Food: Breakfast and lunch provided!

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, February 4th | 12:00 PM

Please note:

You do not need to participate in the workshop to enter the competition.
If you attend the workshop, you do not need to participate in the competition.

The workshop is designed as a resource and could be especially useful for students who want inspiration, technical direction, or a clearer starting point for developing a competition submission.

Competition Details

Key Dates:

Register your team by Sunday, February 15 at 11:59 PM
Submit your Competition Entry by Monday, March 9 at 11:59 PM

The top five teams will present their work on Wednesday, April 1 at Lindner Hall.

Read the Rubric | View Sample Video Submission

If you have any questions regarding the competition, please reach out to Dr. Jones at jonm9@ucmail.uc.edu.

How 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. Each team will designate a team lead who will be the primary point of contact for the group and responsible for submitting competition materials.

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. Please refer to the rubric linked above for more information.

How do teams submit their entries?

After you register your team using the button above, we will reach out with instructions on how to submit your competition materials.