Learning, trying out new things and networking - voices of the participants before the AI Hackathon of Deutsche Telekom AG.
Try yourself, make new contacts and have fun - these are just three of the reasons why participants from all over the world sign up for the "Deutsche Telekom AG Diversity Teams" hackathon. Programmers, data scientists or students from the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) will meet on 24 and 25 October in the hubraum of Telekom AG in Berlin to tackle the challenge in mixed teams and win prizes. Under the motto "Empower Diversity", the teams ideally consist of people of different backgrounds, ages, gender, religion, disabilities, education, sexual identity or other individual aspects.
Diverse teams often achieve better results
"At this hackathon #AIHack4Diversity, we will program jointly and show how diverse teams can often achieve better results than homogeneous teams," said Kenza Ait Si Abbou, Senior Expert Artificial Intelligence Telekom AG and organizer of the event. The teams analyze honeypot records, digital traps on the Internet, which intentionally attract attackers by simulating vulnerabilities over the Internet. Using machine learning (a sub-field of AI), the hackathon will analyze extracts of honeypot data, for example, to identify new attack patterns or to classify attacker groups.
Networking is the key to success for entrant Thea John (21) to assert herself in a male-dominated environment. The student aspires to the Bachelor and then to start as a software developer. "I think that as a woman you have many opportunities that should be realized. Engagement can open many doors for you and create good networks. To really make a career, you have to learn to use these networks," she says.
The Bolivian Marcelo Berazaín (28) will be there, he has already taken part in three other hackathons, now he wants to prove himself outside of Bolivia, make new contacts and look for employment opportunities. Marcello: "I heard about the event by a friend of mine and I'm pretty motivated to go to Hackathon challenge in a new country other than Bolivia. Also, the software development environment can be pretty competitive and challenging, making this a perfect opportunity to know where I stand."
Hackathon boosts developers' abilities
Thea sums up her motivation to participate: "Of course, a hackathon is a lot of fun. In addition, you can also learn so many new things and connect with interesting people. I think you can only come out of a hackathon as a winner." And Marcello adds," I think these events are the best way to boost developers' abilities and test their capabilities in team environments. "
In addition to gaining experience, the teams fight for a total of 10,000 euros in prize money. To solve the challenge optimally, skills in machine learning, domain knowledge in the area of cyber security, data science, design thinking, UX / design, pitch mastery are helpful for the teams. Participation in the AI Hackathon of the Deutsche Telekom AG is free, looking for technically savvy and interested people from all areas. Click here to register.