AEP employees built 45 working AI solutions in just 48 hours during the company’s first AI Hackathon. More than 100 employees from across the business participated, creating solutions focused on solving everyday challenges and demonstrating how AI can help improve the way we work.
Participants represented teams across AEP and focused on solving real business problems. Solutions ranged from automating repetitive email reviews to streamlining billing and data requests, addressing time-consuming tasks employees encounter every day.
“This is what it looks like when people take the initiative to invest in themselves and use AI to solve the problems they face every day,” said Johannes Eckert, chief information and technology officer.
The quality and practicality of submissions stood out across the board.
Rather than building isolated demonstrations, participants created solutions grounded in their day-to-day work.
“These were not proof of concepts held together loosely, but solutions that are already demonstrating value," said Jorge Barba, managing director of enterprise data and AI. "That shift from experimentation to application is what makes this effort meaningful for AEP.”
Photo Guard, the winning agent, was built by Brittany Robinault, Transmission planning and engineering lead, to support an industry standard that helps ensure critical power system equipment stays reliable. The agent helps teams confirm that field assessment photos are connected to the right assets by spotting location inconsistencies. In a process that involves reviewing a high volume of photos, that kind of support can make a meaningful difference and help teams catch issues earlier, reduce repetitive tasks and work with greater confidence.
“The AEP hackathon was a great opportunity to explore new ideas and take a fresh approach to problem-solving,” Robinault said. “I enjoyed learning and collaborating with others who share the same excitement about the potential of our AI tools.”
Across submissions, participants focused on improving efficiency, reducing manual effort and solving common pain points. Many solutions also show strong potential to scale and deliver even greater impact over time.