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Canvas AI Agent

Live demo at Canvas AI Agent. Note. this page is modified with functions removed for security reasons.

Presented as HackWashU 2025 Project, github.

The Canvas AI Agent is an ReAct based OpenAI based learning assistant that integrates directly with the Canvas LMS, combining natural-language interaction with live academic data retrieval. Developed during HackWashU 2025 as part of the AI track, our team built a fully functional prototype that connects OpenAI models with university course management systems through a secure, scalable backend.

Key Contributions

  • System Design: Architected an end-to-end AI-assisted learning system integrating Canvas APIs, OpenAI GPT-5, and Vector Stores for contextual retrieval and reasoning.
  • Backend Engineering: Implemented an asynchronous FastAPI backend supporting concurrent multi-user sessions and live WebSocket (wss://) communication.
  • Frontend Development: Built a responsive React + TypeScript interface using Ant Design, enabling real-time chat interaction and visual feedback.
  • Knowledge Integration: Developed 26 student-permissioned tools (22 Canvas tools + 4 Vector Store tools) to retrieve assignments, grades, files, and course modules with semantic search.
  • AI Engine: Integrated Azure OpenAI’s GPT-5 with reasoning and query execution memory based on SKYWORK AI architecture.
  • Performance & Accessibility: Reduced navigation time in Canvas; improved accessibility for students with disabilities and multilingual needs.
  • Impact: Designed for scalability across institutions; the system architecture can support thousands of concurrent users.

Note due to limited computational resources, price of the API key, and security reasons, the live demo is limited to a single user at a time and ten minutes per session. The demo is also using gpt-4o due to the same reasons. The full version of the project is using gpt-5 and can be deployed on your own server.