The Winners of the 2023 Call for Code Hackathon
The winners of the 2023 Call for Code hackathon were announced on Dec. 6. This annual event, organized by David Clark Cause, IBM, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the Commissioner, and the Linux Foundation, brings together participants from over 180 nations to develop solutions for pressing global issues using available technologies.
Participants have produced a collective 24,000 applications so far. This year’s contest focused on using IBM’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) service, watsonx, to address global challenges. The winners in each category will receive a $50,000 award and development support from IBM and its partners.
The Winning Projects
In the developer category, AGNO from Hexaware Technologies won with their Farmistar AI platform. This platform helps small farmers develop crop management strategies based on real-time insights.
The university category winner was Phyto, a team from The University of Sydney. They built an AI-powered geospatial and weather analytics tool using IBM Watson Studio and the IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite. Their tool assists farmers in rehabilitating contaminated soil through natural processes.
Synergy Squad from Persistent, a digital engineering firm, took first place in the independent vendor/startup category. Their project Offshelf is a text-to-speech-powered consumer waste reduction platform.
Generative AI and Its Applications
The rise of generative AI technologies, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has led to their widespread use. However, consumer-facing models are not always considered accurate or secure enough for business applications.
Enterprise-focused generative AI solutions developed and trained with enterprise data and security in mind are gaining popularity. Examples include Amazon’s Titan foundational models and IBM’s watsonx platform.
Generative AI can serve as a tunable interface that provides real-time insights for engineers, developers, and users. The winning projects from the Call for Code hackathon showcased the diverse applications of generative AI, from farm-scale weather forecasting to waste reduction in households.
Hot Take: Using Generative AI to Address Global Challenges
The winners of the 2023 Call for Code hackathon have demonstrated the power of generative AI in tackling pressing global issues. From supporting small farmers with crop management strategies to rehabilitating contaminated soil and reducing consumer waste, these projects highlight the potential impact of generative AI solutions.
As technology continues to advance, leveraging generative AI in innovative ways can contribute to solving complex problems and creating a more sustainable future. The collaboration between organizations like David Clark Cause, IBM, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the Commissioner, and the Linux Foundation plays a crucial role in driving these developments forward.
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