1461 Young Makers Gather as AI Creativity Illuminates the Future

The finals of the "Smart Creation for the Future: 2026 Generative AI Creative Design Competition," hosted by Asia University, were grandly held on the 6th at the Asia Conference Center. The event attracted 459 teams and 1,461 students from 116 high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities nationwide, setting a record-high scale. Following a rigorous preliminary round, only 61 teams and 176 students advanced to the finals, reflecting an advancement rate of approximately 13%. Ultimately, the "ClearTrace AI: Enterprise-Grade Supply Chain Trusted Decision-Making Platform," developed by Chao-Wei Wang and three other students, stood out to clinch both the Grand Champion and the Enterprise Creativity Award, taking home a total cash prize of NT$110,000 as the biggest winner of this year's event.

This marks the third consecutive year that Asia University has hosted the Generative AI Creative Design Competition. This year, while hosted by Asia University and co-organized by China Medical University and the China-Asia Associated University, the event expanded its horizons for the first time by inviting international students, drawing registrations from 32 international participants and marking a significant milestone toward internationalization. Through interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchanges, Asia University hopes to stimulate the application potential of generative AI in education, industry, and social innovation.

The participants of this competition spanned high schools, vocational schools, and higher education institutions, comprising 112 high school and vocational students, 1,317 university and college students, and 32 international students. Based on the preliminary review, 61 teams advanced to the finals, including 13 teams in the Cultural and Creative Arts category, 10 in the Logical Thinking Design category, 14 in the Problem Solving category, 12 in the Conceptual Design category, and 12 in the High School category, making for an intensely competitive field.

On the day of the finals, in addition to project exhibitions and presentations, the judging panel evaluated the entries based on indicators such as innovation, technical application, practical value, and social impact. Aside from the gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention awards in each category, 8 teams were selected for the Best Poster Award. The top teams from each category then moved on to the second round of the grand finals to compete for the ultimate honors of Grand Champion and First Runner-Up.

Following two rounds of evaluation, the "ClearTrace AI: Enterprise-Grade Supply Chain Trusted Decision-Making Platform," developed by Chao-Wei Wang and three other students, received unanimous praise from the judges for its innovative AI decision-making architecture and high industrial application value. The team won the Grand Champion title along with a cash prize of NT$100,000, and was also awarded the Enterprise Creativity Award sponsored by MaiAgent, which included an additional prize of NT$10,000.

The event received significant attention from industry, government, and academia, drawing nearly 200 faculty members, students, and representatives from various fields. Distinguished guests in attendance included Huang Chun-chieh, Vice President of Asia University; Cheng Ta-chuan, Chief Information Officer of China Medical University; Lin Gu-long, Director-General of the Digital Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government; Lin Qun-feng, Chief Technology Officer of MaiAgent; and Lin Yong-zhang, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Smart Computing, along with several experts and scholars from industry and academia who served as judges.

Jnug-Jie Huang, Vice President of Asia University, expressed that advancing to the finals out of 459 teams already demonstrated that the students possess top-tier national capabilities. He encouraged them to continue transforming their creativity into AI application results with real-world impact. He also introduced Asia University's recent blueprint for AI talent cultivation, which builds a comprehensive learning path ranging from pre-university AI preparatory courses and freshman AI general education courses to sophomore and junior cross-disciplinary AI courses, culminating in senior AI capstone projects. Furthermore, the university requires instructors of related courses to hold professional AI certifications to strengthen teaching quality and bridge the gap with industry.

Cheng Ta-chuan, Chief Information Officer of China Medical University, pointed out that generative AI is rapidly transforming the landscape of global industrial development. Students who engage in AI technical learning and innovative implementation at an early stage are effectively standing at the forefront of the future technology wave, mastering a key competitive advantage.

Lin Gu-long, Director-General of the Digital Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, stated that AI has become a core competency for future talent. In particular, this year's Computex once again demonstrated Taiwan's pivotal position in the global AI industry chain. From AI robotics and smart manufacturing to smart healthcare, the development of these fields requires a large influx of AI talent, presenting the younger generation with the best opportunities for growth.

Lin Qun-feng, Chief Technology Officer of MaiAgent, the sponsoring organization of the Enterprise Creativity Award, expressed that students utilized AI tools to develop many innovative applications that far exceeded expectations. This not only demonstrated abundant creativity but also allowed enterprises to see the limitless potential of future AI talent. He added that corporate support for such competitions is not only about encouraging innovation but also about fulfilling a major, shared responsibility to cultivate the nation's AI talent.

Huang Ming-xiang, Dean of the College of Artificial Intelligence at Asia University, cited Asia University President Jeffrey J.P. Tsai's encouraging words to students at the graduation ceremony: "Standing at the starting point of the AI revolution, please run bravely; do not just walk slowly." He hoped that young scholars would seize the opportunities of the AI era and engage in continuous learning and innovation. Dean Huang Ming-xiang stated that Asia University is actively cultivating T-shaped, pi-shaped, and A-shaped talent who possess both professional knowledge and AI capabilities, thereby creating a talent cultivation model that meets future industrial demands.

Asia University President Jeffrey J.P. Tsai stated that the "Smart Creation for the Future: Generative AI Creative Design Competition" has gradually evolved into a flagship student AI competition platform in the country. In the future, the university will continue to expand international participation and the scale of industry-academia cooperation. Through this competition, Asia University aims to stimulate youth innovation energy, nurture more AI talent with global competitiveness, and inject new momentum into the development of Taiwan's AI industry.