Call for Code: AI Hackathon for Sustainability
Key Points
- Call for Code is a global “tech for good” initiative that invites developers to create solutions for major humanitarian challenges, offering over $1 million in cash prizes each year.
- Unlike typical hackathons, the top submissions are supported by an ecosystem of enterprises, humanitarian groups, and charitable partners to prototype, test, scale, and deploy the solutions in real communities.
- This year’s Global Challenge focuses on sustainability using AI, covering topics such as clean energy access, waste reduction, carbon‑emission cuts, clean water, and nutritious food, especially for marginalized populations.
- Participants receive free AI training, IBM developer resources, and mentorship, as illustrated by the 2020 winning team’s “Agrally” app that uses IBM Watson tools to give small‑scale farmers climate‑aware crop recommendations and has already been field‑tested.
Full Transcript
# Call for Code: AI Hackathon for Sustainability **Source:** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmbu7Ue-gvE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmbu7Ue-gvE) **Duration:** 00:05:38 ## Summary - Call for Code is a global “tech for good” initiative that invites developers to create solutions for major humanitarian challenges, offering over $1 million in cash prizes each year. - Unlike typical hackathons, the top submissions are supported by an ecosystem of enterprises, humanitarian groups, and charitable partners to prototype, test, scale, and deploy the solutions in real communities. - This year’s Global Challenge focuses on sustainability using AI, covering topics such as clean energy access, waste reduction, carbon‑emission cuts, clean water, and nutritious food, especially for marginalized populations. - Participants receive free AI training, IBM developer resources, and mentorship, as illustrated by the 2020 winning team’s “Agrally” app that uses IBM Watson tools to give small‑scale farmers climate‑aware crop recommendations and has already been field‑tested. ## Sections - [00:00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmbu7Ue-gvE&t=0s) **Call for Code AI Sustainability Hackathon** - Jennifer explains how the Call for Code initiative invites developers to compete for over $1 million in prizes by creating AI‑driven solutions for environmental sustainability, then partners with enterprises and NGOs to scale the winning projects into real‑world impact. ## Full Transcript
you know how to code
maybe you've entered hackathons before
but what if you could win cash prizes
for your code
and at the same time see your work put
to good use helping people around the
world
sounds pretty good right let me tell you
how it's possible
my name is Jennifer
and I'm with call for code
call for code is a Global Tech for good
initiative aimed at taking on some of
the world's biggest humanitarian issues
like climate change and natural
disasters
every year we call on developers around
the world to build something for our
annual Global challenge
this year there are chances to win
prizes throughout the year from a total
pool of over one million dollars
prizes are great
who couldn't use that extra cash right
but what makes call for code different
from your typical hackathon
is that top Solutions are then nurtured
by an ecosystem of global Enterprises
humanitarian organizations and
charitable Partners so that Big Ideas go
from prototype to tested and scaled and
eventually deployed into local
communities where they make a real
difference in people's lives
this year our Global challenge is
focused on solving issues of
sustainability using AI
so let's break that down what do we mean
by sustainability well environmental
sustainability involves a lot of complex
interconnected issues so things like how
do you improve people's access to clean
energy
or how do we work together to reduce
waste
and lower carbon emissions
even simple things like how do you
improve people's access to clean
drinking water and healthy food
and how do you do these things
especially in marginalized communities
where people are most often impacted by
pollution and climate change
in AI well AI is really all anybody's
talking about in the tech world right
now
the people who understand the technology
best are doing some really inventive
creative things with it every single day
but most of us are just trying to keep
up and learn
what's great about call for code is when
you join the online community you get
access to free AI training
developer resources from IBM
and expert mentors who are there to help
you learn
so
code something
win prizes
grow your skills in AI
and help people and maybe help solve the
problems of the world
sounds pretty good right
but what could you build
well let me give you one example
the 2020 call for code winning team were
four University students who came
together from Mongolia Brazil India and
Taiwan
they were looking to help small-scale
farmers around the world better predict
unpredictable climate conditions
so that they could make better plans for
the types of crops they should grow
their winning solution was an app they
called agrally
agrally uses IBM Watson assistant to
help farmers access online resources
manage their to-do lists
it also uses Watson Studio to generate a
machine learning model that creates
weather insights to help farmers
make more informed decisions
since winning call for code in 2020 the
AG release solution has been field
tested and put to use with thousands of
farmers around the world so it's helping
real people every day and that's just
one example
so
what could you build with AI to solve a
sustainability issue well
maybe you could help
local utility managers better predict
fluctuating wind and solar power supply
and demand using Watson Studio to help
them more efficiently get power to
people's homes
or maybe you could find Way new ways to
measure risk and Trends in biodiversity
things like fluctuating pollinator
populations
or
maybe you could use Watson assistant to
better connect people in low-income
communities to resources and services
that are available to people impacted by
climate change
there are so many ways that AI can be
used to solve sustainability issues
here's what you can do today
if you're 18 or over take five minutes
and sign up for the call for code Global
challenge
you'll get access right away to free AI
training
you'll be part of our online community
where you can meet potential teammates
around the world and expert mentors who
are there to learn with you
and help you collaborate on Big Ideas
and if you code something using AI to
solve a sustainability issue and you
enter the competition
you could have a shot at some of those
prizes from that pool of over one
million dollars
so what would you code
how will you answer the call
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