By invitation only · aiprodatahack.com

The World of
AI Product & Data
Hackathon

Seventy-two hours where the world's most capable data and AI engineers convene to design, train, and ship production-grade intelligence. No tutorials. No filler. Only builders operating at the frontier.

00Days
00Hours
00Minutes
00Seconds
July 8–102026
72 hrsContinuous build
VettedEngineers & judges only
LLM SystemsAgentic WorkflowsRetrieval & RAGData EngineeringInference at ScaleEvaluation LLM SystemsAgentic WorkflowsRetrieval & RAGData EngineeringInference at ScaleEvaluation
The Event

A room engineered for the top 1%.

This is not an open hackathon. It is a curated gathering of world-class data and AI engineers — industry experts, international professionals, founding engineers, research leads, and CTOs — brought together to push what AI products can do in a single intense weekend.

Every participant is reviewed before being admitted. We protect the bar relentlessly, because the quality of the room is the entire point. You will be building beside people whose work you already respect.

Eligibility is strict. Admission is reserved for professionals with a demonstrated track record in production AI and data systems. CTOs, senior and staff engineers, and recognized international experts are encouraged to apply.

Who belongs in this room

If you see yourself here, you should apply.

  • Staff, principal & founding AI / ML engineers
  • CTOs and VPs of Engineering shipping AI products
  • Data platform & infrastructure leaders
  • Research engineers & applied scientists
  • Recognized international experts in AI & data
Build Tracks

Six frontiers. Pick your fight.

Teams choose a track on day one and ship a working system by the close. Cross-track ambition is welcome — the only rule is that it must run.

01
🧠

Autonomous Agents

Multi-step, tool-using agents that plan, act, and self-correct on real tasks. Reliability and guardrails over demos.

02
🔎

Retrieval & Knowledge

Next-generation RAG, hybrid search, and knowledge graphs that stay grounded, fresh, and verifiable at scale.

03
⚙️

Data Engineering & Pipelines

Streaming, transformation, and lineage systems that make AI trustworthy — the unglamorous layer that decides everything.

04
🚀

Inference & Serving at Scale

Low-latency, cost-aware model serving: quantization, batching, caching, and routing across heterogeneous hardware.

05
📊

Evaluation & Observability

Rigorous eval harnesses, red-teaming, and live observability for AI products you can actually trust in production.

06

AI Product & UX

Human-facing intelligence: interfaces, copilots, and experiences that turn raw model capability into real product value.

The Format

Three days. July 8 – 10, 2026.

A continuous build window from open to demo. We keep the schedule deliberately light — the work sets the pace, not a timetable.

DAY 01 · JUL 8

Convene & Form

Doors open, teams assemble, tracks are chosen. Problem framing and architecture sprints. The build begins.

DAY 02 · JUL 9

Deep Build

Heads-down engineering. Mentor and judge office hours throughout. Systems take shape and get stress-tested.

DAY 03 · JUL 10

Ship & Judge

Final commits, live demos, and a rigorous judging round. Winners announced and celebrated.

The Bench

Judges are vetted, not invited.

Our judging panel carries as much weight as our participants. Every judge passes a rigorous, multi-stage interview process before they are allowed to evaluate a single project.

How judges are selected

  1. 1Written application and credential review, including verified track record in AI and data systems.
  2. 2A heavy round of technical interviews assessing depth, judgment, and fairness.
  3. 3Reference and background vetting with peers in the field.
  4. 4Calibration session to align scoring standards across the full panel.
Apply to Judge →

What teams compete for

Grand Prize
Best overall production-grade system
$25K
Track Winners ×6
Top build in each frontier
$5K
Engineering Excellence
Cleanest, most rigorous system
$5K
The Whole Room
Access to a vetted global network of AI & data leaders
Apply to Build

Interested to participate?

Admission is competitive and reviewed individually. Tell us who you are and we'll be in touch.

Open to Judges

If you have the depth to evaluate world-class AI and data work, we want to meet you. Selected applicants enter our vetting and interview process.

To be considered as a judge, email stephen@aiprodatahack.com with why you want this judging spot and your bio.

Selected judges are then contacted to begin the interview and vetting process.