Guernsey charities are being invited to put forward real-world problems which could be tackled by local technology professionals at a new AI hackathon.
The ‘AI for Good Hackathon’, on 31 October, will bring charities and community organisations together with volunteer technology professionals and problem-solvers.
Rather than simply demonstrating what AI can do, the event – which is part of Guernsey’s AI Sprint – will give charities the chance to bring a specific challenge to the table and work with tech professionals to explore and develop a practical solution.
Kristin Dowling, Development Officer at the Association of Guernsey Charities, said: “Every charity wants to spend as much time and resource as possible delivering impact. Yet many organisations face common challenges around administration, communication, fundraising and service delivery.
“This hackathon is an opportunity to connect charities with technology experts who can help explore new ways of working and demonstrate how AI could help organisations achieve more for the community they serve.”
Charities could, for example, bring challenges around managing volunteers, handling common enquiries, demonstrating the impact of their work or reducing time spent on repetitive administration.
The organisers will look at the challenges submitted and identify common themes before matching suitable problems with technology professionals taking part in the hackathon.
Sue Watson, Chair of Innovate Guernsey, said: “This is a brilliant chance to put the island’s AI builders in a room with the charities doing some of Guernsey’s most important work.
“They are giving their time and skills not to talk about AI in the abstract, but to help charities solve real problems.”
How to get involved
Charities and community groups are being encouraged to attend a free information webinar on 11 September, where they can find out more about the hackathon and how to put forward a challenge.
The session will be led by Katie Inder of Concise Data and Sue Watson.
Organisers say no technical knowledge is required, and the session is open to charity staff, trustees and volunteers.
The webinar will also give examples of the kinds of solutions that could potentially be developed, including AI assistants to help signpost people to information and services, volunteer management tools, systems for tracking projects and impact, and automated processes to reduce administration.
Ms Watson said she hoped at least 20 charities would take part and come away with “something genuinely useful”.
Participation in the hackathon is free.
Charities and community groups can register their interest for the information session here.
