By Priyanshu Singh
The Accelerator Experience
During the first two days of the sprint, I had the opportunity to participate in an AI Chatbot Accelerator, working closely with NGOs to build chatbot solutions. The accelerator was designed as a hands-on, practical experience spread across two days.
Day 1: Foundations
The first day focused on building a strong base:
- Understanding how AI chatbot journeys are structured
- Learning prompt engineering and creating knowledge bases
- Defining initial chatbot use cases
Each organization came in with different ideas, and it was interesting to see how those ideas gradually evolved into clearer, more structured directions.
Day 2: Progressing Further
The second day shifted towards execution and refinement:
- Improving and refining chatbot flows
- Exploring conversational memory and voice capabilities
- Understanding pilot implementation strategies
By the end of the accelerator, teams had moved from broad ideas to more defined use cases and structured plans.
My Role as a Mentor
During the program, I worked as a mentor supporting multiple organizations, including:
- Deepshikha Samiti
- Point of View
- Life Labs (WOSCA)
It was a rewarding experience collaborating with them and helping shape their chatbot use cases.
However, the journey was not without challenges.
One of the main difficulties was managing multiple organizations simultaneously, each at a different level of understanding. For example:
- Some teams wanted to build all use cases into a prototype within a short sprint, even before fully understanding the basics.
- At Deepshikha Samiti, multiple participants were working on different chatbot flows in parallel, which made coordination challenging.
Another key challenge was the language barrier. Most of the documentation was in English, while some participants were more comfortable in Hindi. Since I couldn’t directly rely on documentation links during sessions, I had to spend significant time explaining concepts in Hindi, step by step.
This made the process quite hectic, especially while juggling three organizations at the same time.
Collaboration & Breakthrough
Things improved significantly on the second day when Sangeeta joined in to support Deepshikha Samiti. With her help:
- The team was able to better understand the fundamentals
- We aligned their approach to building chatbot flows
- They successfully developed a few working prototype levels
By the end of the session, the team felt more confident and satisfied. They not only built initial prototypes but also gained a clearer understanding of how to proceed further.
A huge thanks to Sangeeta for stepping in and making a big difference in the process.
Moving to the Next Phase of the Sprint
After the accelerator, we moved to a new location for the remaining sprint. The change brought fresh energy and made the experience even more engaging.
I got the chance to interact with people outside our team, gaining new perspectives on how others approach problems and solutions.
We also had internal sessions focused on improving and scaling our platform, which were highly practical and helped clarify upcoming challenges.
Learning About AI in SDLC
One of the sessions focused on using AI in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Each group presented how they integrate AI into their workflow.
It was interesting to observe different approaches:
- Some teams heavily relied on AI to speed up development
- Others used it more selectively and strategically
A clear insight emerged: AI can significantly boost productivity, but over-reliance can be risky. The key is to use AI as a support tool, not a replacement for core understanding.
Moments Beyond Work
After long work sessions, we found our own way to recharge from sports. Whether it was table tennis, cricket, or football, it almost became a routine. As soon as work wrapped up, everyone would gather, and somehow we always ended up playing cricket. It wasn’t even planned at that point ,it just happened every day. Those moments were honestly the perfect break after hours of thinking and building.
But the most exciting part was when we got to try archery and paintball.
Archery was surprisingly intense. Everyone got competitive, aiming seriously like pros and somehow, my team actually won, which made it even better.
Paintball, on the other hand, was pure chaos. Running around, trying to hide, getting hit out of nowhere ,it was messy, loud, and way too much fun. We lost that one, but no one really cared. The whole experience was more about the fun, the energy, and just enjoying the moment.
Evenings, Uno & the Gorakhpur Rules
Evenings had a completely different energy. Once the work was done, we would all gather to play Uno .But not the normal, peaceful version. This was Uno with Gorakhpur Rules, and things could go wrong very quickly.
The rules were… creative:
- Stack +2, +2, +4 and then play reverse? Congratulations, the next person picks up everything
- Play a card the wrong way? +2 cards
- Laugh too much? +2 cards
- Think too long? +2 cards
- Try to act oversmart? Definitely +2 cards
- Make a mistake or try to bluff? +2 cards again
At some point, I became the main target of these rules. Honestly, it felt like every rule was designed specifically for me. No matter what I did, laugh, think, play, exist ,I somehow ended up picking cards.
And the best part? The rules didn’t stay constant. Every day, new people joined and casually added new “Gorakhpur Rules,” making the game even more unpredictable. Keeping track of the rules became harder than actually winning the game.
Not that winning was ever my strong point anyway ,I usually ended up holding half the deck by the end😢.
Final Reflection
Overall, it was a highly fulfilling experience. Despite the challenges, it was amazing to see organizations:
- Learn new concepts
- Move from confusion to clarity
- Build meaningful prototypes
Moments like these truly make mentoring worthwhile.
Key Takeaway
This entire journey reinforced a few important lessons:
- Keep solutions simple and practical: focus on real impact rather than complexity
- Collaboration makes all the difference: the right support at the right time can unlock progress
- Use AI wisely : as a tool to enhance productivity, not replace understanding
- And most importantly, balance work with moments of joy : because those are what make the journey memorable
