QS Impact
When ethical AI meets youth innovation
Ajman University at the QS ImpACT Youth Summit
By Krusha Khakhar, QS ImpACT
16 September 2026
“The AI for ImpACT Hackathon at the Youth Summit was a shot of pure energy.”
That was how Pranay Kotwal, Head of Product at Impact Advantage and hackathon judge, described what unfolded when international youth teams had just two hours to identify a real-world problem, design an AI-enabled solution and pitch it to a room of global experts. Behind that energy was a university that made it all possible.
Ajman University arrived at the QS ImpACT Youth Summit 2025 not just as a platinum sponsor, but as the academic backbone of the summit's most hands-on challenge, bringing leadership, mentorship, and a clear conviction that artificial intelligence must be built in service of people, not the other way around.
As the platinum sponsor of the AI for ImpACT Challenge, Ajman University provided the launchpad for international youth teams to use AI for good to make measurable progress towards the UN SDGs. They actively drove the challenge forward, providing mentorship, inspiring keynote addresses, judging expertise, and bringing some of the UAE’s brightest student innovators into the room.
Shaping the global narrative on ethical AI
As artificial intelligence rapidly scales across global industries, the conversation in higher education has shifted from what AI can build to how it should be a collaborator. Ajman University stepped into that conversation as a definitive voice at the Youth Summit, anchoring the day's deep dive into ethical technology and youth-led innovation in front of 280+ global delegates, educators, and innovators.
Dr. Karim Seghir, Chancellor of Ajman University, delivered an opening keynote address that framed the core theme of day one of the Youth Summit: technology is only as valuable as the human empathy driving it. His insights challenged delegates to view AI not merely as a tool for efficiency, but as a vehicle for global equity and climate resilience.
This academic leadership extended directly into the summit's panel discussion, "Can AI Be a Force for Good?" where Prof. Khaled Assaleh, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Ajman University, joined a high-level panel of industry and research experts to dissect the complex ethical boundaries of generative technology. Prof. Assaleh emphasised the critical need to address algorithmic bias, democratise access to advanced tools, and ensure that the next generation of developers prioritise social responsibility over unchecked scale.
Driving grassroots innovation: The AI for ImpACT Challenge
Ajman University’s vision came to life during the AI for ImpACT Challenge, a hands-on hackathon powered by the institution. Youth teams from across the world collaborated under time pressure to pitch AI-driven frameworks targeting some of the most urgent SDG challenges: education, climate change, and community health.
Nancy Stearns Bercaw, Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ajman University, captured what made the day remarkable:
"What really impressed me was the amount of emotional intelligence all participants leveraged to create artificial intelligence. These teams were connecting around AI to foster human connections and environmental sustainability."
From an industry perspective, the rapid translation of raw ideas into viable concepts drew high praise from the hackathon evaluation jury. One of the judges, Pranay Kotwal, Head of Product at Impact Advantage and mentor at the London Impact Investing Network and Climate Entrepreneurs, described the energy in the room:
"I listened to rapid-fire pitches from teams that had just two hours to identify a real problem, design an AI-enabled solution, and frame a compelling narrative. What stood out wasn’t just the ideas themselves, but the direction they could grow into with the right product thinking, validation, and execution... talent and intent matter, but so does the ability to turn early ideas into scalable products. These students showed they have that spark."
The ideas that emerged
The resulting student concepts proved that when young minds are given the right platform, they prioritise ethical design and human impact:
The winner: AI+YOU – Targeting Wasted Generative Energy
Millions of users unknowingly waste tens of millions of dollars in compute power on generative AI pleasantries like "please" and "thank you", driving avoidable carbon emissions. The team's response: an "Allowed Energy Consumption Indicator" for major Gen-AI tools that tracks prompt efficiency, rewarding low-compute use with green credits and charging for carbon-heavy overuse, a low-cost framework designed to be pitched directly to LLM providers.
The runner-up: Zippy – Targeting Student Isolation
With 92% of international students reporting loneliness and 48% struggling with culture shock, Zippy is a "social copilot" that pairs isolated students for low-compute, gamified icebreaker missions, then steps back to let real connection take over. Students earn redeemable "Zip Points", and the whole system runs on a near-negligible carbon footprint (~4g CO₂ per mission).
A partnership built for what comes next
The success of the AI for ImpACT Hackathon illustrates what becomes possible when a university invests not just financially, but intellectually and institutionally, in the next generation. Innovations like AI+YOU and Zippy didn't emerge from a classroom; they emerged from the platform Ajman University helped create.
This intersection of human empathy and advanced technology is central to the university’s mission. As Ajman University Chancellor, Dr. Karim Seghir, summarised: "Watching the enthusiastic faces eager to take on the AI Challenge filled me with excitement as well. My message was twofold: remember that your origins do not limit your horizons; always bring your humanity to the use of artificial intelligence."
For QS ImpACT, Ajman University's partnership set a benchmark for what academic sponsorship can look like when it goes beyond the logo — embedding a university's values directly into the experience young innovators carry forward. We are proud to have built this together, and we look forward to what comes next.
For more information on the QS ImpACT Youth Summit, visit the website.
Institutions exploring how to embed ethical AI leadership into their global partnerships can find out more about the upcoming QS ImpACT Youth Summit in London by contacting [email protected]
QS ImpACT is a UK-registered charity and the global SDG incubator for a better world. Our global community of young people grows and earns recognition for driving positive social and environmental impact. Through strategic collaborations with universities, organisations, and communities, we equip young leaders with the skills, networks, and platforms needed to turn purpose into action. To date, QS ImpACT has engaged young people across 120+ countries, contributing 235,000+ volunteer hours and impacting 383,000+ people globally.
The culmination of the 2025 calendar year was marked by the first-ever QS ImpACT Youth Summit 2025, our flagship global sustainability event designed for and by young leaders. Held alongside the QS Reimagine Education Awards, the Summit brought together youth, universities, educators, and forward-thinking organisations to explore how leadership, technology, and innovation can accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Summit also featured the QS ImpACT Awards 2025, celebrating outstanding youth-led initiatives and innovations across sustainability, climate action, education, health, gender equality, and community impact. Together, these programmes highlight the power of young changemakers to drive meaningful change and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
