Preview: Purple Mai‘a AI Hackathon

In a world where climate change and social issues are front and center, can machine learning and AI be a force for good?

I conduct three times as many interviews with amazing people than I ultimately turn into longform articles for Hawaii Bulletin. The previous “Hawaii Bulletin Preview” of the ThriveHI innovation ecosystem grant allowed newsletter supporters to watch the raw, unfiltered, sometimes awkward conversation that eventually led to the finished piece last week.

I’m continuing this experiment with coverage of Purple Mai's upcoming AI hackathon, which is bringing together coders, non-tech experts, students, and professionals to create AI solutions that tackle real-world problems with emerging tech. Veterans can dive into custom coding, while beginners can start with no-code AI builders during the weekend sprint. Beyond coding, the event will explore AI ethics and elevating marginalized voices through indigenous language models.