31 Mar 2026
As part of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the final of the IBSS x Etron AI Hackathon was held on 29 March. In response to XJTLU’s “Education + AI” strategy, the competition was designed to deepen the integration of artificial intelligence and business practice while nurturing interdisciplinary talent with innovative thinking. Under the theme “AI Agents Empower Real Business, Innovative Solutions Drive Industrial Upgrading”, the event was jointly organised by International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) and Etron, co-hosted by XJTLU Learning Mall, sponsored by Dify and CFA Institute, with strong support from learning partner Datawhale, as well as enterprises across various sectors including Lumenis, Outman Coffee Roasters, and Suzhou Realgood Technology.
The hackathon welcomed industry experts from across the country to share insights and offer guidance. It also attracted hundreds of students from diverse majors, who formed teams to develop solutions to real business challenges. After rigorous rounds of selection, dozens of outstanding teams advanced to the final. The four final tracks were designed based on the real business needs of partner enterprises, covering healthcare, catering, foreign trade and education. They tested both technical application and business understanding, and attracted strong interest and support from the industry partners throughout.
At the opening ceremony, Professor Konstantinos Papadikis, Associate Vice President for Education of XJTLU, Dr Daniel Hampson, Head of the Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing at IBSS, and Ricky Fan, Secretary to the Board and Production Director of Etron, delivered speeches. Professor Papadikis noted that AI technology is reshaping all industries across the board and said the university has long been committed to integrating AI into daily teaching. He also urged students to use AI responsibly and ethically while maintaining independent critical thinking.
Dr Hampson focused on the educational value of the competition, saying that it aimed to help students connect theory with real business practice and develop as managers able to work confidently with AI. He encouraged students to demonstrate their innovation and teamwork throughout the final.
Ricky Fan briefly introduced Etron’s industrial development and achievements in university-enterprise co-operation with XJTLU. He announced that the company plans to deepen collaboration with XJTLU by building a joint laboratory and launching a direct internship and employment channels, supporting award-winning projects in industry-university-research translation.
Following the speeches, the core roadshow session began. Participating teams presented AI agent solutions through slides, live demos and Q&A sessions, showcasing remarkable highlights, solid professional expertise and innovative thinking.
Track 1 addressed challenges in service and installation business report analysis. Multiple teams designed AI spreadsheet analysis agents to improve low data processing efficiency and one-dimensional analysis. The solutions generally enabled the rapid processing of large volumes of data, automatic extraction of key information, trend forecasting, and anomaly detection. Some also integrated visual data presentation to simplify complex reports, effectively helping enterprises optimise service processes and improve data-driven decision-making. The judges praised the solutions for their technical feasibility and practical value.
Track 2 centred on an AI agent for Xiaohongshu brand content operations and public opinion monitoring for Outman Coffee Roasters. Teams presented tailored solutions to address the the premium coffee brand’s core operational challenges, building an end-to-end intelligent workflow aligned with the platform’s “content as product” logic. The track demonstrated a viable path for AI to support brand building and offered useful ideas for the wider industry.
Track 3 tackled low enquiry conversion on B2B foreign trade independent websites. Teams developed distinctive AI sales enquiry assistants designed to address inefficiencies in enquiry handling, difficulties in customer screening and cross-border communication barriers. Core functions included enquiry screening, intelligent response, progress tracking, and multilingual adaptation. With strong practicality and commercial value, the solutions showed how AI could reduce labour costs, improve enquiry conversion and strengthen cross-border communication., Judges and company representatives recognised them for responding directly to real business needs.
Track 4 focused on building an AI-assisted workflow for sustainable, large-scale content output. Six teams designed repeatable operational agents covering hot-spot identification, content planning, script and storyboard generation, automated video production, and publishing support. The solutions emphasised educational value and communication impact, explored human-AI collaboration in content production, and reflected the educational mission of the IBSS AI Task Force. They also offered practical ideas for future business school education in AI literacy and brand communication.
After the roadshow, Dr Nimesh Salike, Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching at IBSS, delivered a closing speech. He emphasised that one of the key challenges is learning how to work with AI, make the most of its strengths, and respond calmly to the challenges created by rapid technological change. He told the students that the experience itself was valuable, reward regardless of final results, and encouraged them to continue exploring and progressing on the path of innovation. The award ceremony then began. Guests presented awards to preliminary-round winners, track winners and special award recipients, and issued certificates of appreciation to sponsors and judges.
As a key event celebrating XJTLU’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the hackathon demonstrated IBSS’s commitment to integrating AI and business education and to advancing university-enterprise collaboration. By creating a platform that connected academia and industry, the event supported talent development, practical innovation and industry engagement. IBSS will continue to deepen co-operation with industry, build more high-quality platforms for practical innovation and support the development of future business leaders in the age of AI.
31 Mar 2026