The DMZ, Ryerson Futures, and GM Canada have announced the winners of hackAI, a two-day hackathon that invited tech enthusiasts to design and create a virtual assistant that enhances people’s experiences with their vehicles beyond driving.
The hackathon’s winners include first place winner The Mages, which won $3,000 for developing a virtual assistant that builds profiles and changes a vehicle’s user settings like map locations and seat settings; second place winner Tanso AI, which won $2,000 for its virtual assistant that helps build, combine, and optimize different driving models for self-driving cars; and third place winner Klak, which won $1,000 for developing a user dashboard system that recognizes driver attention and mood to recommend and gauge driving conditions.
“The future is going to be AI-driven and it will impact all of our lives.”
– Ted Graham,
Head of open innovation, GM Canada
“AI is creating a level of connectivity in the automotive industry that promises to bring major benefits to manufacturers and consumers alike,” said DMZ executive director Abdullah Snobar. “While AI automotive applications that involve driverless cars receive the most attention, our hackAI event will enable participants to explore and test what other innovations can drive this evolving market.”
From June 24 to June 25, several teams gathered at hackAI to brainstorm and design solutions that aim to disrupt how people interact with their vehicles. At the end of the hackathon, the teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges. The DMZ said hackAI expected to gather a total of 150 participants, judges, and industry leaders.
“The future is going to be AI driven and it will impact all of our lives,” said Ted Graham, head of open innovation at GM Canada. “Events like hackAI are the perfect platform to engage with an ecosystem of current and future entrepreneurs and foster out-of-the-box ideas.”