Hackers Wanted!

Hackers Wanted!

GM Canada, along with Ryerson DMZ and Ryerson Futures will host the first-ever GM Canada sponsored hackathon. Dubbed hackAI, the event will run on June 24 and 25, 2017 at the Sandbox by DMZ, Ryerson University. Participating teams, consisting of 2-4 members each, will focus on solving how Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered assistants might change the way we work, move and play in an autonomous age.

Over the two-day period, industry professionals, students and startups will brainstorm, design and create a virtual assistant designed to help enhance the experience individuals have with their vehicles beyond driving. Participants will be asked to dream big and find solutions in creating a virtual assistant to enhance and revolutionize the way they interact with their vehicle, pushing the boundaries of todays assisted interactions to take us to a new era of personalization.

At the end of the hackathon, teams will present their solutions to a panel of industry-leading judges who will crown a winner. The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of $3,000 CDN, with cash prizes given to the second and third place teams respectively.

“The future is going to be AI driven and it will impact all of our lives,” said Ted Graham, head of open innovation, GM Canada. “Events like hackAI are the perfect platform to engage with an ecosystem of current and future entrepreneurs and foster out-of-the-box ideas. We’re looking forward to connecting with future talent as we continue to fulfill our mandate of growing to approximately 1,000 engineer and software developers in the areas of autonomous vehicle software & controls development, active safety and vehicle dynamics technology, infotainment and connected vehicle technology.”

“AI is creating a level of connectivity in the automotive industry that promises to bring major benefits to manufacturers and consumers alike,” said Abdullah Snobar, executive director of the DMZ. “While AI automotive applications that involve driverless cars receive the most attention, our hackAI event will enable participants to explore and test what other innovations can drive this evolving market.” 

"We are excited for the unique opportunity to bring AI-based innovation together with real automotive challenges," says Alan Lysne, Managing Director of Ryerson Futures. "Along with GM and our partners, we welcome teams from a variety of industries to develop solutions collaboratively and effectively."

Approximately 150 participants, judges and industry leaders are expected to attend. 

For more information or to follow along with Western GMC Buick For on the hackathon dmz.to/GMhackAI. Follow #GMhackAI on Twitter.

Source: GM Canada