India AI Impact Summit 2026: Tata Bharat YuvAi Hackathon highlights the rise of rapid, inclusive AI Innovation

At the India AI Impact Summit, the Tata Bharat YuvAi Hackathon stood out as a strong indicator of how quickly artificial intelligence is becoming accessible to India’s youth. 

The hackathon brought together almost 2,000 students from across the country and challenged them to conceptualise and build AI-powered applications in just 75 minutes.

What made the exercise unique was its emphasis on vibe coding and AI-assisted coding, which is a fast, intuitive approach where participants focused on outcomes rather than formal programming structures. 

Also read: ‘Writing code will not be the goal’: Nandan Nilekani on how AI will transform talent and enterprises

For many students, this was their first-ever attempt at coding. Despite that, they were able to build working prototypes by leveraging AI tools, prompt-based development, and rapid iteration under mentor guidance.

Business Today spoke to several participants whose projects reflected real social concerns. Gauri Sharma, an undergraduate from Mathura, built an app aimed at helping economically disadvantaged people access healthcare services with greater ease. 

Her solution focused on simplifying information, guiding users to nearby facilities, and reducing friction in seeking basic medical help.

Another notable project came from Yuvraj Tripathi, an MBA student who developed an app for the elderly. The application helps users track medicines, stay mentally active through brain games and quizzes, receive water reminders, and contact emergency services if required. Yuvraj said his inspiration was deeply personal: as an only child with ageing parents, he worries about who will support them when he eventually moves to another city.

By compressing ideation, coding, and deployment into a 75-minute window, the Tata Bharat YuvAi Hackathon demonstrated how AI-driven development is reshaping who gets to build technology. 

It reinforced the idea that with the right tools and intent, meaningful innovation can emerge even from those writing code for the very first time.