Delaware paired students with agencies in 3-day AI hackathon

Delaware state agencies are turning to college and high school students to explore how artificial intelligence could address some of government’s everyday challenges, such as records management, customer service, transportation and infrastructure planning, workforce and benefits administration and internal reporting.

This week, more than 40 students from the University of Delaware, Penn State and area high schools participated in a three-day AI hackathon, working with state employees to develop machine learning tools for real-world government problems, the Delaware Department of Technology and Information announced Friday.

The “Hennovate the State” event, held at the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus, paired student teams with case studies submitted by 10 state agencies. It was the fifth hackathon held at the university, but the first to include state agencies and government datasets.

Delaware Chief Information Officer Bob Osmond said the hackathon demonstrated the potential of bringing government and higher education together to develop practical AI applications.

“Our agency partners brought real problems to the table, and these students brought fresh thinking and sharp technical skills,” Osmond, who stepped into the role in April after serving as Virginia’s CIO, said in a press release. “That’s how we find AI solutions that actually work for the people of Delaware.”

Participating teams received support from mentors at Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia. At the end of the hackathon, four winning projects were recognized for impact, technical depth, creativity and problem execution. The most promising concepts may be evaluated for possible development, according to DTI.

The event builds on Delaware’s experimentations with AI. Last year, the state launched the AI Sandbox Program to experiment with machine learning tools such as for traffic monitoring and network intrusion detection.

Delaware joins several states — including California, Georgia, Texas, New York and Utah — that have in recent years established regulatory sandboxes or testing environments to safely pilot test AI, study best governance practices and offer temporary relief from specific regulations.