TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
In celebration of the International Day of Education, the American University of Bahrain’s College of Engineering and Computing concluded a three-day AI Generative Hackathon held from January 21st to 23rd, centred around the revolutionary theme of Generative AI and its transformative impact on education.
The hackathon was powered by Amazon Web Services, and sponsored by iWorld Connect, Reboot Coding Institute, NorthStar Technology, and Business International. Al Salam Bank has also announced its partnership with the American University of Bahrain for the Generative AI hackathon.
In a commitment aimed at providing an opportunity to the next generation of tech leaders, the Bank has also announced its intention to offer two full-time job positions for the winners of the hackathon. This strategic partnership underscores the Bank’s dedication to nurturing young talents, creating meaningful opportunities, and shaping the future of the tech industry in Bahrain.
Generative AI has emerged as a transformative technology with vast potential in various fields, including education and innovation. Students from several universities across Bahrain with the aim of equipping participants with the skills and knowledge needed to harness the potential of this groundbreaking technology.
The AI Generative Hackathon included insightful training workshops about Generative AI and its diverse applications within the educational landscape, hands-on training on AWS services for building generative AI models. Students formed teams to ideate, innovate, and develop web applications utilizing Generative AI.
Over the course of three days, students were presented with a unique platform to collaborate, receive mentorship from industry experts, and turn their visionary ideas into tangible projects. The final day witnessed the culmination of creativity and hard work, as teams presented their projects to a panel of distinguished judges.
The first-place winners of the hackathon were Basel Malalla, Hamad Aljassmi, Layla Kashif Naseem, and Noor Hamdan; second-place winners were Akbar Saleh, Zainab Saeed, Lulwa Almuraisi, and Ali Madhoobh; and the third prize winners were Huda Hasan, Adnan Jaberi, Afham Haleema, and Amr Osman respectively.
Winners received a range of prizes from the hackathon sponsors. Mahmood Qannati, Head of Marketing and Communications and ESG Officer at Al Salam Bank, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with the American University of Bahrain to support this initiative which will provide the ideal platform for students to showcase their talents in the field of Generative AI.”
Dr. Hasan Kadhem, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing commented, “This Generative AI hackathon gathered students from 6 universities across Bahrain, thus aligning with our mission of enhancing education and technology amongst the youth of Bahrain. We were impressed by the spirit of collaboration and innovation among students and their passion in exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and education.
