Last week I wrote about how AI has been the foundational technology of Responsible Business Intelligence (RBI) for decades - enabling the responsible application of BI and AI by responsible businesses and organisations. I quoted Sarah Murray from the Financial Times, who says the message for the corporate sector is clear: "any company claiming to be responsible must implement AI technologies without creating threats to society - or risks to the business itself, and the people who depend on it." So how can graduates and entrepreneurs, who are now implementing the AI technologies of the future, ensure they can do this without creating threats to society? How can they be ready to take on the industries they are entering? One increasingly popular answer is the Hackathon.
In the context of 'AI for Good', hackathons are two or more day-long events, during which people who are passionate about technology work on AI and software-related challenges that can benefit society. These challenges are often provided by sponsor companies or organisations, who hope to benefit from transforming promising prototypes into finalised products, while at the same time recruiting talent for AI-related jobs.
Dr Mithileysh Sathiyanarayanan, Honorary Scientist at City, University of London and Founder of MIT Square™ describes the 10 Reasons why Hackathons are Important to Make you Industry-ready:
Learning Opportunity - there's as much to learn from trying and failing as there is from winning.
Spark in Innovation - people come from different fields/disciplines/areas of interest and that diversity drives innovation.
Disruptive Technology - one of the fastest ways to learn, from industry experts, how AI technologies can and will disrupt existing industries.
Builds Confidence - pitch your ideas to tens or hundreds of complete strangers, many of them experts in their fields.
Smart Management and Team Dynamics - learn to work as a team under pressure - no room for perfectionism - it takes empathy, execution and efficiency.
Professional Networking - endless opportunities to get to know people on a professional level, not only during the hackathon but also before as the teams and ideas start to form.
Career Planning - approach company representatives and learn about your potential workplace first-hand. Just like a job fair, but better.
Builds Entrepreneurial Skills - learn how to pitch business ideas solving real-world problems.
Lessons from Mentors - Mentors can help make sure you get to the outcome you are after, resolve technical issues and answer any career-specific questions you might have. Keep hold of those relationships!
Prizes and Recognition - prize awards can be fun, but the true prize is continuous learning, helping to build a rewarding career that also delivers benefit to society.
There are a growing number of 'AI for Good' hackathons emerging around the world - the latest having taken place this weekend at University of California, Berkeley, where they have been using AI to solve real-world problems. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle,
"participants competed Saturday and Sunday in the field of generative AI, which consumes data, learns from it, then produces text, images, sound or computer code with similar characteristics."
Berkeley SkyDeck, a global hub for entrepreneurs, organised its second GenAI Hackathon in partnership with Cal Hacks, the world's biggest collegiate hackathon. Chon Tang, founding partner of the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund stated
"Last year’s [GenAI] hackathon was the largest of its kind, demonstrating that even within a short 36-hour timeframe, breakthroughs with genuine entrepreneurial promise are achievable. Given the rapid advancements in AI, we’re confident the 2024 teams will produce even more groundbreaking use cases.”
In London, a leading force for 'AI for Good' hackathons is 42 London, a foundation-backed free AI and software programming school empowering students from diverse backgrounds to engage with and shape the future using Artificial Intelligence. 42 London ran its first hackathon earlier this year on “Generative AI: Redefining Education”, mentors and judges who engaged for the 2 days included senior stakeholders from: Anthropic, BBC , Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Braze , Eviden , Cocoa 🍫, Evidently AI , IBM and Polecat Intelligence™.
As London’s most disruptive educators, 42 London created a space to redefine education and lifelong learning with Generative AI, focusing on: Personalised Learning Pathways, AI-Driven Study Assistants and Interactive Learning Environment Enhancements.
Look out for 42 London's next Hackathon “AI for the Third Sector”, preparation for which will run August-November, with the 2 day Hackathon taking place in November 2024. There will be 180 participants in 30 teams of 6, plus more mentors and judges. Each team will have a charity employee + beneficiary participant from key charities including Shannon Trust, Safe Soulmates CIC, RSPB, CITY OF LONDON CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU, Refuge , The Children's Society, DWRM & National Trust.
Bronwyn Kunhardt, Trustee at 42 London, sums up well what AI for All Hackathons are all about:
Fostering Inclusivity: The hackathon's approach to engaging diverse participants in AI development - including charity and public sector employees and beneficiaries as well as private sector - ensures that the solutions created are inclusive and also tailored to the needs of underrepresented groups.
Promoting Ethical AI: By emphasising responsible AI usage and addressing biases, this initiative promotes ethical practices in AI development, which is crucial for our communities and society at large.
Bridging Gaps: The hands-on experience and mentorship provided during AI for All Hackathons helps balance power dynamics between AI experts and marginalised communities, fostering a more equitable development process.
Driving Real-World Change: The practical and scalable AI solutions developed through these hackathons directly benefits the organisations and communities we serve, enhancing our capacity to deliver on our mission and make positive, lasting changes for society through the power of AI.
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