At MPL, we’re constantly asking ourselves one question: What’s next? The answer, at least for now, resides in the capabilities of AI. But beyond the buzzwords and headline-grabbing AI breakthroughs, how do you actually get people to engage with AI in ways that feel practical, meaningful, and relevant to their work?
That’s where MPL AI Demo Days comes in: a new initiative we launched to turn the spotlight on everyday innovation and empower employees across teams to explore how AI can drive productivity, creativity, and impact in ways both big and small.
“AI not only optimises repetitive processes but also sparks new paths for innovation. With Demo Days, we wanted to expose our teams to this technology, even if they don’t come up with fully developed ideas,” said Kaustubh Bhoyar, Head of Engineering, and a member of the mentoring team behind Demo Days. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting hands-on experience and seeing what’s possible with AI, so when the right challenge arises, people can think of AI as a viable solution.”
While it might resemble a typical hackathon, it’s more than that. This isn’t a frantic 48-hour sprint. Explains Kaustubh, “Here, people can work on ideas over time, build on their concepts month over month, and grow something that’s actually usable. We’re creating room for long-term innovation.”
From Imagination to Proof-of-Concept
Some of the early ideas to emerge from AI Demo Days have been nothing short of ambitious—from tools that translate natural language into SQL queries, to lightweight AI-generated game prototypes that let teams test gameplay concepts without investing in full production.
“Let’s say someone has a game idea, something like a ‘Candy Crush meets crossword’ concept. Instead of building the whole game, which takes time and resources, this tool can quickly give you a playable prototype,” says Kaustubh. “It won’t have polished graphics or music, but it’ll give you a feel for whether it’s fun. That kind of insight is invaluable.”
Another team is working on a self-serve analytics platform powered by AI, so that non-technical teams can run complex data queries in plain English, removing their reliance on analysts and drastically reducing turnaround time.
These ideas are not only imaginative, they’re deeply practical. And more importantly, they’re coming from all corners of MPL.
“Participation from non-engineering groups has stood out in particular,” shares Bhavna Negi, Senior TPM and one of the leaguers leading this initiative. “We’ve had colleagues from the People team, Program Management, etc., bring creative ideas to the table. Some had never written a line of code, but used clever prompts and AI tools to build working demos.”
That’s one of the core philosophies behind AI Demo Days: accessibility. You don’t have to be a developer to contribute. You just need an idea, and the curiosity to explore what’s possible.
She recalled how one colleague from the program team—who had never written code—used a clever AI prompt to generate a playable web game. “It was small, but it worked. That’s what this is about: using the tools we have, pushing boundaries, and learning from the process.”
A Learning Experience
AI Demo Days is as much about upskilling as it is about building. Every week, we hold mentoring sessions with leaders across various tech functions and these have become hubs of exchange where people learn what AI can and can’t do, discover use cases from other teams, and collaborate across departments.
“Even if folks didn’t have an idea upfront, they could just attend the weekly mentoring sessions, learn from others, and eventually say—‘hey, this is something I deal with daily, can we solve it with AI?’ That led to a lot of meaningful collaborations,” says Bhavna.
“Even if we don’t get a fully-formed project out of every idea, the learning is immense,” Kaustubh adds. “People start to see where AI fits in their day-to-day, and that awareness is what really drives innovation.”
For those without a specific idea, the mentoring sessions have offered a space to simply listen and learn. As Bhavna puts it: “We told people — if you don’t have an idea, that’s okay. Just come, join the conversation. You might discover a pain point in your own work that AI can solve. And that’s exactly what’s happened.”
A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Unlike traditional hackathons, Demo Days allow participants to work on ideas over time, iterate based on feedback, and gradually build towards a real product. “It’s not about rushing to deliver something in 48 hours,” Kaustubh notes. “Instead, teams can break their problems down into smaller, manageable parts and keep building on top of it.”
Ideas are evaluated not just for feasibility but for their potential to scale. There are multiple paths forward—some projects might get greenlit for further development, others might evolve through audience feedback and mentoring. A few may even find their way into MPL’s product roadmap.
And of course, there are rewards and recognition—because celebrating effort and creativity is an essential part of the journey.
More than Bragging Rights
Each month, teams present their demos to a panel of mentors and peers. Judging happens on two fronts: one by mentors who assess feasibility, usefulness, and execution; and another by fellow colleagues who vote on which ideas excite them most.
Some projects may be greenlit for future development or even integrated into MPL’s roadmap. Others will return with feedback and the opportunity to evolve for the next cycle. In this way, AI Demo Days becomes more than a one-off showcase.
In our first edition, two colleagues: Devendra Saini, Head of SEO and Manish RR, Software Development Engineer, presented AI use cases in content and game development and took home exciting rewards.
What’s Next?
AI Demo Days marks a new chapter in MPL’s playbook, one where every employee is a potential innovator. With the first edition of Demo Days off to a successful start, ideas continue to keep flowing in Slack threads and weekly mentoring sessions. The more people understand what’s feasible, the more they’ll begin to use AI as a natural part of their toolkit. And perhaps that’s the biggest win: turning curiosity into capability.