Baldwin High and ʻĪao Intermediate school students win $5,000 for AI project ideas contest

Maui students were among the best in the state in concocting ideas to use artificial intelligence to address real-world issues that youths face today.

Students from five Hawai‘i public schools received $19,500 in awards.

Teams from Baldwin High, ʻĪao Intermediate and Palisades Elementary (Pearl City, O‘ahu) schools each won the top prize of $5,000 in the Design Intelligence Lab contest. Hilo High and two separate teams from Kalani High School were each awarded $1,500 for their project ideas.

Superintendent Keith Hayashi served as a judge during competition rounds. He was impressed by the ingenuity and creativity students displayed in both developing their solutions and pitching their ideas to industry professionals. 

“I was blown away by the innovation and talent our students showcased,” he said. “They exemplify our vision of public school graduates being globally competitive and locally committed, using their problem-solving skills and cutting-edge technology to improve the lives of their peers and communities.”

The Design Intelligence Lab is an annual two-month-long design thinking workshop that the Hawai‘i State Department of Education puts on in partnership with the Public Schools of Hawai‘i Foundation and Design Thinking Hawai‘i aimed at transforming student ideas into impactful solutions.

“We live in a time where the world is changing rapidly,” said Ken Hiraki, executive director for Public Schools of Hawai‘i Foundation. “Technology, innovation and ideas are reshaping the landscape of opportunity. Many of our initiatives are designed to provide students with the latest skills and tools necessary to compete on the global stage. By doing so, we allow students to tackle some of society’s oldest problems with the newest technology.”

The challenge, which is in its fifth year, added two new elements for this year. Students in grades K-12 were required to incorporate the use of artificial intelligence into the design of their project. This is also the first year that cash prizes were involved, sponsored by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

“Incorporating AI has elevated our solutions and given us more options to give us more solutions,” said Department of Education Educational Specialist Tiffany Frias, who oversees the Hawai‘i State Student Council. Students brainstormed the ideas for the projects during her student leadership conference held over the summer, she said.

Students were allowed to form teams of no more than six students and were paired with a volunteer mentor to develop a chatbot using ChatGPT that would address educational issues.

The winning schools and their projects are:

• H.P. Baldwin High – Scholarship Connector: Connects students with scholarship opportunities
• Palisades Elementary – Absentee Math Program: Supports math catch-up with guided coaching
• ʻĪao Intermediate – Financial Tutor: Teaches students about financial basics
• Hilo High – School Connection Support: Assists new students with activity navigation
• Kalani High Team 1 – Alumni Connection Platform: Links students, staff, and alumni
• Kalani High Team 2 – Missed Class AI Bot: Helps students catch up on missed work

Some of the students are planning to apply for the Public Schools of Hawai‘i Foundation’s Good Ideas Grant to continue developing the project, Frias said.