Higher Education Category Submission

927 – Aico – A collaborative AI System

Aico, the "Low-cost, Transparent Agentic AI Playground and Guides for VPET" project by HKIIT at IVE(ST) and HKUST, transforms personalized and collaborative learning through accessible AI tools. Its standout feature is making AI transparent, letting students peek inside complex systems to understand how they work. By mimicking human teamwork, like virtual groups solving real-world problems such as saving resources, it encourages students to collaborate across subjects.

Designed for education, Aico runs on everyday computers, making it affordable for schools. It offers clear records of AI decisions and easy-to-follow guides that help teachers and students use AI in subjects like science or humanities. These guides include practical examples, ensuring lessons fit different classroom needs and spark creativity.

The project uses free, open-source tools, keeping costs low and allowing schools to adopt it widely. Its “playground” lets students experiment with AI as if it’s a team member, with conversation logs showing how decisions are made. This hands-on learning builds confidence in using AI and prepares students for future careers.

For personalized learning, Aico tailors experiences to individual students, helping them learn at their own pace. In collaborative settings, it fosters teamwork by simulating group tasks, teaching students to solve problems together. Embedded in HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing courses, it makes AI understandable for all students, including beginners and non-tech learners, fostering inclusivity and eco-friendly practices by reducing the need for expensive equipment.

Aico simplifies AI for everyone, encouraging creative problem-solving and teamwork across disciplines. It equips students and teachers with skills for an AI-driven world, ensuring equitable access to cutting-edge education. By blending innovation with affordability, Aico positions HKIIT as a leader in shaping engaging, future-ready learning experiences.

The Aico project was inspired by the need to make AI accessible and understandable in VPET and higher education. The thought process began with recognizing three key challenges: traditional AI systems are opaque, often requiring expensive hardware, and lack hands-on tools for students to explore AI’s inner workings. These barriers limit AI literacy and practical engagement, particularly for non-technical learners and resource-constrained schools. Observing successful multi-agent simulations, like ChatGPT’s town simulation, sparked the idea of creating a transparent, low-cost AI playground that mimics human collaboration, making AI relatable and educational.

The hypothesis is that a transparent, affordable AI platform, running on standard computers and using open-source tools, will enhance AI literacy and collaborative learning by allowing students to interact with and understand AI processes. We believe it will succeed because it addresses real educational gaps: it demystifies AI, reduces financial and technical barriers, and provides practical, discipline-specific guides. By simulating team dynamics, such as virtual departments tackling resource-saving tasks, Aico fosters problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration, aligning with VPET’s focus on real-world skills.

The project’s relevance lies in its potential to bridge the digital divide, equipping students and educators with AI fluency for future workplaces. Its design ensures inclusivity, supporting diverse learners, including freshmen and non-IT backgrounds, through intuitive, human-like AI interactions. By integrating into HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing curricula, Aico enhances teaching and learning, promoting innovation and sustainability through low-resource solutions. We anticipate that this approach will empower students to confidently engage with AI, driving educational transformation and preparing them for an AI-driven world.

The Aico project, a low-cost, transparent AI playground for VPET education, leverages open-source technologies like DeepSeek-R1 7B and OpenELM-270M, optimized for standard hardware (e.g., M1 Mac with 16GB RAM), ensuring accessibility without additional costs. Developed by a mixed team from HKIIT and HKUST, it uses free tools and may include industry expert input. Core functionalities include a transparent AI playground simulating human-like team workflows (e.g., resource-saving tasks), guides for setting up local LLMs with discipline-specific use cases, and features like multiple-shot modes and decision logs to enhance AI literacy. An intuitive UI/UX, refined through student feedback during development (April–July 2025), ensures a positive experience for non-technical learners. Market demand will be validated by piloting Aico in HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing programme, with educator and student feedback shaping its adoption. Performance will be measured via engagement (platform usage time), AI literacy gains (pre/post assessments), task completion rates in collaborative scenarios, and user satisfaction surveys. By aligning with VPET’s need for inclusive, practical AI education, Aico delivers a feasible, functional solution that fosters equitable access, collaborative learning, and transformative educational outcomes.

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Aico introduces an innovative and creative solution to the challenges of opaque AI systems, high resource demands, and limited hands-on learning tools. Its innovation lies in demystifying AI by providing a transparent workflow that lets students explore decision-making processes, unlike traditional "black box" systems. By simulating human-like collaboration, such as virtual teams tackling resource-saving tasks, Aico creatively mirrors real-world teamwork, making AI relatable and engaging for learners.

The project’s creativity shines through its anthropomorphic agentic AI framework, which transforms complex AI into interactive, team-based simulations. This approach not only simplifies AI concepts for non-technical students but also fosters interdisciplinary problem-solving, aligning with VPET’s practical focus. Aico’s ability to run on standard hardware using open-source models like DeepSeek-R1 7B is a groundbreaking departure from resource-intensive AI, ensuring accessibility for diverse educational settings.

Aico demonstrates innovation by offering customizable guides with discipline-specific use cases, enabling personalized and collaborative learning tailored to various subjects. Its multiple-shot modes and transparent decision logs empower students to experiment creatively, building AI literacy and confidence. These elements enhance effectiveness by addressing user challenges—students gain practical skills, educators access inclusive tools, and schools overcome cost barriers.

By integrating into HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing curricula, Aico fosters a creative learning environment where students innovate within their fields. Its low-cost, sustainable design further amplifies impact, making advanced AI education equitable. Aico’s blend of transparency, interactivity, and accessibility redefines AI learning, effectively bridging the digital divide and preparing learners for an AI-driven future.

The Aico project, a transparent AI playground for VPET education, ensures scalability and sustainability through strategic design and resource-efficient practices. To handle growing user demand, Aico leverages open-source large language models (e.g., DeepSeek-R1 7B, OpenELM-270M) optimized for low-cost hardware (e.g., 16GB RAM computers), enabling deployment across diverse educational settings without requiring expensive infrastructure. Cloud-based hosting options will be explored for larger institutions, with modular architecture allowing seamless updates to accommodate more users. Potential bottlenecks, such as processing limitations on basic hardware, will be addressed by optimizing algorithms for efficiency and providing detailed setup guides to streamline installation.

Environmental sustainability is prioritized by minimizing resource demands. Aico’s compatibility with standard hardware reduces energy consumption and eliminates the need for frequent hardware upgrades, lowering the carbon footprint. The use of open-source tools further cuts costs, making it viable for widespread adoption in resource-constrained schools.

For long-term user engagement, Aico offers an intuitive UI/UX, regularly updated guides with discipline-specific use cases, and a collaborative AI playground that simulates real-world teamwork, keeping learners invested. Continuous feedback from pilot programs in HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing courses will drive iterative improvements, ensuring adaptability to evolving educational needs, such as new curricula or emerging AI trends.

To sustain engagement and relevance, Aico will foster a community of educators and students through workshops and online forums, encouraging shared innovations and use cases. By aligning with VPET’s focus on practical skills and inclusivity, Aico ensures equitable access, scalability, and sustainability, empowering diverse learners.

Aico addresses social issues by democratizing AI literacy, enhancing equity and inclusion in education. It tackles the digital divide by providing a low-cost, open-source platform that runs on standard hardware (e.g., 16GB RAM computers), making advanced AI accessible to resource-constrained schools and diverse learners, including non-technical students and freshmen. By offering transparent AI workflows and discipline-specific guides, Aico empowers primary beneficiaries—students and educators at HKIIT—with practical skills for AI-driven workplaces, fostering economic mobility and innovation. Its human-like collaborative simulations, such as virtual teams solving resource-saving challenges, promote interdisciplinary teamwork, aligning with social goals of inclusive education and workforce readiness.

Aico enhances lives by simplifying complex AI concepts, enabling non-IT learners to engage confidently with technology. Its integration into HKIIT’s AI and mobile computing curricula ensures equitable access to cutting-edge education, bridging gaps for underrepresented groups. The platform’s low-resource design supports environmental sustainability, aligning with broader social responsibility goals.

Social impact will be measured through metrics like AI literacy improvement (via pre/post assessments), user diversity (tracking participation across demographics), and engagement rates (time spent on platform and collaborative tasks completed). Surveys will gauge user empowerment and career readiness perceptions. To ensure responsiveness, Aico will collect continuous feedback from pilot programs, educators, and students, using workshops and online forums to adapt guides and features to evolving community needs, such as new educational standards or industry demands. By fostering an inclusive learning community and prioritizing accessibility, Aico drives lasting social impact, equipping learners for an AI-driven future while promoting equity and sustainability.

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