Computer Science Senior Recognized Among Thousands of Global Innovators

When Daniel Lambo entered the Amazon Web Services 10,000 AIdeas Competition, he hoped his idea would stand out. Four months later, the Alabama A&M University senior computer science major earned a place among 50 finalists worldwide.

The AWS 10,000 AIdeas Competition challenged developers worldwide to propose and build original artificial intelligence-powered applications using AWS technologies. The competition drew thousands of submissions from 115 countries, with 1,000 participants selected to develop prototype applications. The field was narrowed to 300 semifinalists, 50 finalists and ultimately 20 winners through community voting and evaluations by AWS experts.

Lambo, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, was the only Alabama A&M student selected as a Top 50 finalist. His project, CareLens AI, addresses a challenge facing patients before they receive medical care: understanding what that care could cost.

His CareLens App is a privacy-focused, AI-powered platform designed to help users navigate health care costs by analyzing information such as de-identified symptoms, location and optional insurance details. The platform compares care options, including emergency rooms, urgent care facilities and specialists, and uses hospital price transparency and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data to provide estimated price ranges.

Rather than diagnosing medical conditions, CareLens is designed to help users better understand their options, potential costs and the factors behind its recommendations before seeking care.

“I went into this with no expectation of how far I would get,” Lambo said. “I built my project with passion and hoped for the best, but I kept advancing further and further through each stage. Being recognized as a Top 50 finalist out of thousands of participants is something I take real pride in, and it’s meaningful to now have that kind of global recognition as an engineer early in my journey.”

As a finalist, Lambo and CareLens were featured on the AWS Builder Center alongside the competition’s other top projects. The competition’s finalists represented five categories: workplace efficiency, daily life enhancement, commercial solutions, social impact and creative expression. CareLens competed in the social impact category.

The recognition adds to Lambo’s growing list of academic, leadership and professional experiences. He serves as president of Alabama A&M’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers student chapter and is a Presidential Scholar. He completed software engineering internships with Google in Mountain View, California, in 2024 and 2025 and is currently a software engineering intern with Rippling in San Francisco.

Lambo also has represented Alabama A&M in regional and national technology competitions and programs, including the Innovate Alabama Pitch Competition, AIME Design Challenge, HBCU Data Science Consortium, FICO Educational Analytics Challenge and ILP Dollarcraft Challenge.

Lambo said Alabama A&M’s computer science program, scholarship opportunities and supportive learning environment made the University his dream HBCU. Since arriving on The Hill, he said faculty mentorship and opportunities to compete, conduct research and gain professional experience have helped prepare him to pursue increasingly ambitious goals.

“This accomplishment reflects the strength of Alabama A&M University and its motto, ‘Start Here, Go Anywhere,’” Lambo said. “My experience and success in the AWS Global 10,000 AIdeas Competition were made possible through the foundation I built at AAMU, where I’ve been supported by dedicated faculty, accessible resources and a community that actively invests in student success.”

Among those mentors is Ed Pearson III, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science, who encouraged Lambo during the competition and helped bring attention to his work.

“I am extremely proud of Daniel’s participation and advancement to the Top 50 worldwide in the Amazon Web Services AI competition,” Pearson said. “Daniel’s project, CareLens, aims to assist everyday individuals with navigating health care decisions and estimating medical costs before seeking care. Daniel is a very bright young man with a very bright future.”

After graduating in May 2027, Lambo plans to pursue graduate studies or a career in software or product engineering. His long-term goal is to become a chief technology officer and lead teams developing technology with meaningful global impact.

“This experience also reinforced my commitment to keep learning and growing,” Lambo said. “I want to continue building technology that solves real problems and improves people’s lives. This is a milestone I will never forget, and it has given me even more motivation to keep pushing forward.”