Tech-savvy innovators get a head start on challenges, in hopes of winning $250K in cash prizes.
BOULDER, Colo. — The boundaries of AI will be pushed on Sept. 13 – 15 at the AI & the Church Hackathon in Boulder, Co. where teams are already getting a headstart on solving their choice of two challenges with AI-powered solutions. Gloo announced the specific challenge details to all registered hackers with the goal of maximizing the innovation, creativity, and intention developers will put into solutions to serve the big C Church.
“We know innovation flourishes when creativity is given that room to grow,” said Steele Billings, Head of Gloo AI and Gloo Ventures. “For some participants, God has been putting ideas on their hearts for years, but they haven’t had the time or space to really explore and develop those ideas. We want to support the community to make—and get—the most out of the Hackathon.”
The AI & The Church Hackathon is all about advancing AI-based redemptive technology to serve the faith community and to do this, we are focusing on two key challenge topics this year: Human Flourishing and Organizational Thriving.
Teams are invited to build AI-powered solutions that address either one of the challenges in a way that serves the faith community.
Human Flourishing: Work from Barna Group and Harvard University identified seven dimensions of flourishing that provide a holistic view of well-being and quality of life. These areas included finances, physical and mental health, vocation and purpose, relationships, contentment, and spiritual formation.
Organizational Thriving: Decades of research from Barna Group determined 15 unique areas that provide a comprehensive view of the health of an organization. These include dimensions such as prayer culture, trusted leadership, and resource stability to name a few.
Winning creators will be awarded cash prizes from a $250,000 pool with the Best Overall prize of $100,000. Prizes will also be awarded for best technology, best design, best concept, and best storytelling, as well as top six projects in each challenge area.
“Having measurable ways to see and cultivate human flourishing and organizational health is a game changer for the big C Church,” said Scott Beck, Gloo CEO and co-founder. “We’re thrilled to see how this group of mission-minded technologists will use the frameworks, coupled with AI to serve the faith community.”
In addition to the Hackathon event, leaders from across the tech and faith community will come together at Gloo as a working group to explore the responsible use of AI and other topics challenging faith leaders today. Working group members include Yvonne Carlson, CTO of Global Media Outreach; Bobby Gruenewald, CEO of YouVersion; and Nicole Martin, CIO of Christianity Today among others.
The event is open to reporters interested in covering the activity live, with access to exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content. Reach out to [email protected] to plan your visit.
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Gloo is the trusted tech platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. Gloo connects ministry leaders to resources, people, insights, and funding so their people and communities flourish and their organizations thrive. Gloo does this with the highest standards of trust and scalable economic models. Gloo serves over 70,000 churches and more than 1,000 resource partners.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.
