Tata Bharat YUVAi Hackathon sees 1,800 non engineering students build AI powered apps

The Tata Bharat YUVAi Hackathon concluded at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, bringing together 1,800 college students from Arts, Science, and Commerce streams to build digital app prototypes using artificial intelligence tools, despite having no prior coding experience.

Held at Bharat Mandapam, the event challenged participants to develop working applications within 90 minutes.

Students selected issues in healthcare, education, agriculture, and civic services, then used AI tools available in Indian languages to research problems, design solutions, and generate app prototypes in real time. Organizers said 1,500 prototypes were created during the session.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw attended as chief guest. K Krithivasan, CEO and Managing Director of TCS, was also present.

“India’s digital future depends on unlocking talent beyond engineering. The Tata YUVAi Hackathon, which witnessed 1,800 students from non-engineering backgrounds come together to build digital app prototypes, marks a major step toward that vision. It reflects the Tata Group’s commitment to digital inclusion, where opportunity is not defined by background, stream, or language,” Krithivasan said.

“This is the country’s largest single-session learning initiative of its kind and the beginning of a national movement to reach one million students, empowering them with AI tools to turn ideas into real-world solutions,” added Krithivasan.

The initiative focused on expanding digital creation skills among non engineering students. Organizers said the hackathon demonstrated how AI tools can lower technical barriers and enable students to move from idea to prototype without coding knowledge.

The summit event capped a six-week outreach program conducted across 22 colleges in 10 states, including Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat, reaching more than 10,000 students.

Completion rates at these events ranged between 88% and 93%, with participants developing functional prototypes despite no prior experience in building digital products.