Learn AI by working on something real.

The AI Incubator is a group of students, faculty, and staff who meet once a week to solve problems with AI.

Meet people across campus

to share strategies, pitch ambitious ideas, and test new tools.

Featured inForbesJuly 19, 2026

“You Can’t Outsource Understanding”

Forbes profiles the AI Incubator’s approach to learning AI: start with a real problem, build something useful, and keep judgment with the person doing the work.

Read the Forbes feature

Students are building solutions

Founding their own startups, leading national discussions, and taking on real-life projects.

Bring your work to the group

Philanthropy outreach site

Chaelyn McGuire built a site that helps her sorority organize outreach and raise money for survivors of domestic abuse. Her work is featured in Microsoft’s “Creating an AI Future for Kentucky.”

Watch the philanthropy story

Socratic Tutor

Hunter Colson, Matthew Bernard, and Alex Dripchak built a tutor that asks students to explain their reasoning. Their work is featured in Microsoft’s “Creating an AI Future for Kentucky.”

Watch the Socratic Tutor story

Agentic Engineering with Alex Dripchak

Alex runs through a live demonstration of Agentic coding tools that UK students have access to.

Watch the Agentic Engineering demonstration

Current projects

KY-AHEAD

How do we help more people get the cancer screening they are due for?

Portable retinal camera beside a retinal image

Rural Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

Could AI-supported screening help catch diabetic eye disease earlier in rural Kentucky?

Drone carrying an insulated container with test instrumentation

Whole-Blood Drone Delivery

Can whole blood stay at the right temperature and remain intact during a drone flight?

See all projects

Join the Incubator

We meet Fridays at noon on Microsoft Teams. Students, faculty, staff, researchers, and community partners are all welcome.

Join the Incubator