HackTheHub® the skills/experience I learned from your event have been massive for me. Would highly recommend anyone in the UK to get to Belfast... whether tech wiz or just interested in AI.

🚀 Reflecting on an Incredible Hackathon Experience at #HackTheHub, Belfast! 🏆 Last weekend I flew into Belfast to take part in the #HackTheHub generative AI hackathon. It was an absolute blast and our team placed 2nd.🥈 🔍 Diving into Our Project: Streamlining Auto Insurance Claims Post-Crash We developed an app prototype designed to revolutionize the car crash insurance claim process, making it seamless and efficient. Here's how: 1️⃣ Narration Capture: The crash participant recounts their version of events via a voice call, instantly converted into a transcript. 2️⃣ Intelligent Summarisation: An AI agent digests the information, creating a comprehensive summary complemented by a visual diagram. 3️⃣ Quality Assurance: A QA loop is initiated, refining the summary until the caller confirms its accuracy. 4️⃣ Relevant Regulations Retrieval: The event summary triggers a query into a vector database of the highway code, pinpointing applicable sections. 5️⃣ Fault Assessment: Both the summary and relevant highway code excerpts are analysed by another AI, which then recommends who is to blame (if anyone). 6️⃣ Legal Prep Document: A detailed report is generated to inform the solicitor's subsequent decision-making process. 🌟 Team Dynamics: Cohesion and Individual Brilliance Kara McIlroy built our Django web app, that the functions interfacing with AI plugged into and crafted the bulk of the presentation slide deck. Michael Jennings excelled in the ideation phase and oversaw the critical tasks within Steps 2 and 3. As for me, I delved into the intricacies of Steps 4 and 5. In order to upskill for the hackathon, I previously created a chatbot by leveraging YouTube transcripts, a vector database and calls to chatgpt (special thanks mentioned below). Despite the pressure, we delivered to an audience packed with participants, sponsors, and a panel of judges. Kara adapted on the fly, trimming her segment to ensure time for a comprehensive app demo. MJ was a star, highlighting our solution's market relevance and tactically handling the intense Q&A session. Personally, watching myself confidently navigate the app walkthrough, despite the butterflies, was a rewarding moment. I am eagerly awaiting the event's footage to relive and learn from our presentation ‘game-tape’! Shoutout to Martin Hunt from Kind.dev who lent his expertise on a call that laid the foundation for the chatbot project and also shoutout to the YouTube tutorials of Greg Kamradt. Also, a shoutout to Connor and the other organisers and sponsors of the event.

I placed second in an AI hackathon without formal AI training. Too many people overcomplicate AI skill development: • "You need a computer science degree" • "You must understand AI model training" • "Learn the theory before applying anything" Truth is they only need: • A clear problem to solve • Just-in-time learning (not just-in-case) • Persistence through failure I recently had someone in my DMs challenge me: "How can you be using AI if you don't know what backpropagation is?" (later found out that was a way to train AI models) He assumed technical knowledge trumps practical application. When I mentioned placing second in an AI hackathon and my software development background, his tone completely changed. Your audience doesn't care about your technical credentials, they care about the results you deliver. Don't let your overcomplication turn into procrastination. The best way to learn AI isn't studying for months before building—it's building something useful while learning what you need along the way. Invest in yourself. Upskill just in time for something, rather than study for years only to realize it's not for you. How have you upskilled in AI? Tell me in the comments.

I recently led my organisation's entry for HackTheHub in April 2024. As part of this I was able to hone my leadership skills and enjoy innovation in a fun and interactive way - which was a major factor in getting promoted.

“Representing Version1 at HackTheHub was a great experience, I got to meet people from different sites and departments in the organisation and it was fun to get a chance to play with generative AI again. I’d love to compete again, there’s so much to learn!”

I attended HackTheHub with the intention of immersing myself in the local tech community and expanding my network after my recent move to Belfast. It provided an excellent platform for me to not only connect with tech experts but also to assess my own strengths and weaknesses. Through observing and learning from my peers, I was able to acquire new skills, which significantly enhanced my qualifications. This experience played a pivotal role in my successful job search, ultimately leading to my employment as an associate data analyst. What truly stood out for me was the event's organization, run by developers and trainers who remained attuned to the constantly evolving demands of our modern world. I eagerly look forward to the next edition of this event.

As a founder, HackTheHub proved to be an invaluable experience, offering a fantastic opportunity to delve into the intricacies of ideation and rapid idea validation. Participating in a hackathon compels you to make the most of your time and leverage your team's expertise judiciously. The insights gained from this event have direct applications in the business world, significantly contributing to the refinement of my product roadmap, which is invaluable for my business.

I’m a student in my final year of college. I learned a lot after attending Hack the Hub about how to design and create projects, how to present your ideas to people and how to work as part of a team to get a project finished on time. It was a really amazing experience and I met a lot of cool people. I’d encourage everyone to give it a try even if you’re just starting out coding !

I’m an aeronautical engineering student and HacktheHub was my first hackathon experience. The organisers took incredible care of all the participants and the environment was perfect for ideation. Several lessons regarding effective task management and teamwork were learnt over the course of the day.

This marked my second participation in the HackTheHub event, and it was a fantastic learning experience. I was amazed at how rapidly ideas could materialize into working prototypes. Additionally, collaborating with new team members allowed me to explore and adopt emerging technologies, all while honing my presentation skills. What I cherished most about the day was the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. From fellow participants to mentors, meeting people who share similar passions and interests was truly the highlight of the event.