The latest AI NI Datathon was a massive success, producing exciting AI projects in accessible learning, early cancer detection, and recruitment tech.
Artificial intelligence is transforming digital industries across the planet, allowing businesses to turn mountains of data into useful tools for anything from finance and recruiting to medical diagnosis. Local group AI NI is keen to show that AI and machine learning can do a lot of good in the world, and has partnered with Hackily to run a series of events exploring that theme.
The group's Good (A)Idea Hackathon back in Spring was a huge success with over 100 in attendance, and last month's AI NI Datathon event smashed expectations with over 250 people split between the Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University Magee Derry campuses.
Participants formed groups and spent a weekend tackling specific AI challenges from sponsors or developing their own projects, producing working AI-based solutions to some tough real-world problems. The sponsored challenges were:
- AquaQ: Use machine learning and data analysis to improve renewable Energy
- Dell: Helping to solve the climate crisis and predict the future
- Smashfly: Building AI systems to eliminate recruitment bias
- Peltarion: AI analysis to detect the early signs of skin cancer
- AI NI Academy: Tools to support mental health
While some attended primarily as a learning experience, several finalist teams completed the sponsored challenges and others produced working AI models by the end of the event. Techstart NI even awarded one group a £10,000 Techstart Proof of Concept grant to explore their idea further.
The first place prize went to project "K’s Nearest Neighbours" by Jillian Keenan, Sean Kennedy, Daniel Feenan, Craig Neeson and David Schmitt, an ambitious learning platform focusing on accessible learning. Second place went to "DirectedIn" by Sujit Roy, Dr Jose Sanchez, Przemyslaw Cichy, Mateusz Cichy and Vinay Vibhakar, an app that analyses a user's resume and highlights missing skills that would help them get interviews.
(The K’s nearest Neighbours team along with Jonny from sponsor AquaQ Analytics)
Source: Medium
