Students explore community-centred AI at UFV’s 2025 Ideation Jam

When Amarnoor Kaur walked into UFV’s 2025 Ideation Jam, she didn’t have a team, a plan, or even a clear idea of what problem she wanted to solve. She came equipped with just her curiosity and a willingness to try something new.

“I didn’t really know anyone when I arrived,” she says. “I was excited to meet people, work together, and actually build something.”

Within an hour, she had teamed up with students she had just met. Within 48 hours, they had created Agriverse, an AI-powered concept designed to support Indigenous farmers by safeguarding traditional knowledge and offering practical, culturally rooted tools for their work. By the end of the event, their idea had earned first place.

The Community Ideation Jam — co-hosted by UFV’s Centre for Experiential and Career Education (CECE) and the Canadian AI Advancement Institute (CAIAI) and in partnership with UFV Alumni Engagement— asked participants to explore the theme “Changemaking with AI”. The challenge: design an AI solution that addresses a real need in the community.

For Amarnoor’s team, that meant focusing on farmers whose knowledge systems are often overlooked in modern agriculture. Their concept included a knowledge graph to preserve and share Indigenous teachings, disease detection tools for soil and plants, a farming assistant bot informed by Indigenous methods, and a fair marketplace intended to reduce exploitation by middlemen.

“It wasn’t about building something flashy,” she says. “We wanted to think about real farmers, real challenges, and tools that could actually help.”

For Tristan Taylor , the founder of CAIAI, a UFV alumnus, and co-organizer of the Jam, ideas like this show how quickly students can push the boundaries of innovation when given the chance.

“We now live in a world where some of our best ideas can come to life in minutes or hours instead of months or years,” he says. “What inspired me most was how students weren’t afraid to take risks or try something new.”

CECE staff watching the 48 hours unfold saw that same mindset in action.

“Beyond technical skills, we really want students to develop the human competencies that will carry them forward,” says Jason Li, Career Education Coordinator at CECE . “Collaboration, communication, and ethical decision-making are just as important as learning how to use AI tools — especially when students are thinking about how their ideas can create real impact in their communities.”

Throughout the event, participants were encouraged to use CAIAI’s ETPIA model — exploration, testing, policy, implementation, and adoption — to help them move from idea to responsible design. Tristan says the framework helped students anchor their creativity in ethical, real-world application.

“When you approach an AI project with ETPIA, you’re far better equipped to implement your vision ethically, safely, and effectively,” Tristan explains. “Students adapted quickly. They found creative ways around roadblocks and built ideas that aimed for maximum social impact.”

For Amarnoor, this experience shifted her perspective entirely.

“Before the Jam, I mostly saw AI as a technical thing: models, accuracy, pipelines,” she says. “But this made me see AI through a human lens. AI becomes meaningful only when it solves a real problem for real people.”

That shift has stayed with her.

“It moved me from asking, ‘What cool AI technique can I use?’ to ‘Whose problem am I solving, and how does this make their life better?’”

The first few hours were the hardest, she explains.

“Working with new people, not even knowing each other’s name, that part was challenging.”

But after the team settled in, collaboration came naturally. Over two days, they learned how to articulate a problem, research real user needs, design ethically, and build quickly — skills that stretch far beyond the Jam itself.

When her team was announced as the winner, she was stunned.

“I lost hope when the second and third places were announced. So, hearing our name for first place was exciting. It felt like all the hard work paid off.”

Her biggest takeaway is one she hopes to carry into future projects.

“Impactful innovation happens when empathy, research, and technology come together to solve a real community problem.”

Her reflection captures the spirit of the Ideation Jam itself: learning to use emerging tools in ways that strengthen community and deepen purpose. The Jam is one example of how CECE helps students move from curiosity to confidence, giving them space to test ideas, explore emerging tools, and collaborate with industry and community mentors.

Students who want to take part in future innovation challenges or experiential learning opportunities can connect with UFV’s Centre for Experiential and Career Education (CECE) to learn more.