2026-01-13

For novice investors navigating an overwhelming flow of market information, the real challenge is often not how to place trades, but whether emotions have already influenced decision-making. A cross-disciplinary student team from the National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), composed of members without a computer science background, addressed this issue with an AI-assisted investment concept centered on the idea of “pause before you decide.” Their proposal earned recognition at the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ inaugural AI Academic–Industry Problem-Solving Bootcamp, securing a NT$30,000 award.

The team includes Yang Chia-Hsin and Pan Chun-Kai from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature, Tsai Po-Ting from the Department of Applied Economics, and Wei Pei-Chen from the Department of Crafts and Creative Design. All members enrolled in the course Innovation Thinking and Problem Solving, offered by NUK’s Innovation Academy and taught by Professor Lin Hsing-Tzu, Chair of the Department of Information Management. Through this course, they formed an interdisciplinary team and competed in the national-level program organized by the Administration for Digital Industries under the Ministry of Digital Affairs.

Professor Lin explained that the course is designed not to train students to code rapidly, but to build AI literacy. It guides students to start from real-world problems, define contexts and pain points, and understand user needs—before identifying the appropriate role AI can play in a solution.

She emphasized that the curriculum prioritizes interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on practice, encouraging students to integrate diverse academic backgrounds and tools while developing decision-making capabilities in complex scenarios. For students without technical backgrounds, the key to success lies not in showcasing advanced coding skills, but in their ability to understand, apply, and critically evaluate AI use cases—and in whether their solutions are practical and relevant.

The team, self-named “Surely Winning 30K,” consists of three freshmen and one junior student, all of whom entered the competition without prior experience in AI or programming. Inspired by the information gaps, decision pressure, and emotional anxiety commonly faced by young investors, they proposed “PredicX,” an intelligent investment support system. The concept leverages AI techniques and predictive modeling to assist users in navigating uncertain decision environments.

During the two-month competition period, the team learned AI fundamentals from scratch and worked closely with their instructor to iteratively refine system architecture and development plans. The proposed system integrates open financial datasets, technical indicators, and stock price trend analysis, while also considering investors’ emotional responses and behavioral patterns during decision-making. It is designed as a supportive tool to help beginners reduce the risk of irrational investment decisions.

The students reflected that participating in the course and competition was a valuable experience. Despite coming from non-technical backgrounds, they gained a deeper understanding of the relationships between training data, AI model design, and user interaction. Beyond winning the award, the experience has enhanced their skill sets and positioned them as emerging AI-ready talents for the future.

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