The main page
Search for a debate topic
Get "Argument" card based on the debate topic
Shows the detail and counter argument section
Drag the strong argument into the simulation module
Shows all the selected arguemnts
shows the speech based on the selected arguments
shows the text to speech and the judge section
getting judge feedback based on the speech generated
getting the judge feedback

DebateMate - Master your debate and thesis defense

💡 Inspiration

As AI startup devs with teammates in grad school, we've lived the nightmare of high-stakes presentations. Watching our colleague practice thesis defense in the hallway at 2 AM sparked a question: What if AI could be your debate opponent before the real thing?

⚡ What it does

DebateMate transforms debate prep with AI-powered simulation:

Research: Perplexity API pulls real stats, recent news, credible sources, and anticipates opponent counterarguments you never considered
Generate: Creates compelling speeches with evidence-backed arguments, and
Judge: LLM critic evaluates your logic, evidence, and delivery

From debate tournaments to thesis defenses—never walk into an argument unprepared.

🛠️ How we built it

Tech Stack:

Backend: FastAPI + Python for multi-agent AI orchestration
Frontend: React.js for intuitive user interface
AI Integration: Perplexity Reasoning Pro for research, argument generation, and critical evaluation; Custom prompts for debate-specific workflows and academic feedback

🔥 Challenges we ran into

Prompt engineering: Crafting prompts that consistently deliver quality research, arguments, and feedback
Source verification: Ensuring citations are real and properly formatted
UX flow: Designing intuitive workflows that don't overwhelm users with too much information

📚 What we learned

Perplexity's access to current information gives arguments immediate relevance and credibility
How to guide Perplexity toward diverse, credible source types

🚀 What's next

Allow document uploads (as private information that arguments can be retrieved from)
Customize for thesis defense preparation by putting more focus on retrieving information from research papers

Making world-class debate preparation accessible to everyone.