San Francisco is a city of contrasts. It’s known for its innovative technology companies, but it also faces complex social and urban challenges. From housing affordability to transportation and public health, the city requires creative solutions. Recognizing this, a group of former tech employees has launched Accelerate SF, an initiative focused on building AI solutions for San Francisco’s major public sector challenges.
The Hackathon: Solving Real Problems
Accelerate SF will be hosting a hackathon on November 4th and 5th, where participants will work on projects related to the city’s challenges. The goal is to find innovative solutions that can be implemented to drive positive change. What sets this hackathon apart is its focus on large language models (LLMs), which excel at analyzing complex data sets. The founders of Accelerate SF – Anthony Jancso, Jordan Wick, and Kay Sorin – all have extensive experience in working with government organizations and solving their problems with software.
Anthony Jancso believes that the public sector is ripe with opportunities for AI applications. He explains, “large language models are really good at applications that rely on analyzing a large amount of text. If you look at all of these government forms, and all of these government websites, they are excellent places to look for opportunities for AI.”
During the hackathon, participants will have the chance to work on various AI applications, including:
- Improving government forms and websites for better user experience.
- Developing AI solutions for analyzing public health data.
- Creating tools to address housing affordability and homelessness.
- Enhancing urban transportation systems using AI algorithms.
Bringing Together Tech and Civics
The hackathon will feature industry experts and notable speakers from the tech and civics sectors. California State Sen. Scott Wiener and entrepreneur Kim Polese are among the scheduled speakers who will share their insights and perspectives on how AI can be used for social good and public sector improvements. These speakers, along with others, aim to inspire participants and highlight the potential impact of their work.
“I think there’s really a lot of concrete change that can be achieved, especially with so many brilliant, talented tech people in one city,” says Kay Sorin. “I just encourage people to get involved and know that even making the smallest effort building one application can have a huge impact for everyone in the city.”
Accelerate SF has received funding and support from various sponsors, including Scale AI, Chroma, OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and LangChain. These sponsors not only provide financial backing but also offer prizes, speakers, and tools for the hackathon. Scale AI, for example, is working closely with Accelerate SF on this project, building AI applications for local government.
The Accelerate SF hackathon is open to engineers specializing in large language models and machine learning. Interested participants can sign up on Accelerate SF’s website or follow them on Twitter for updates and more information. Join Accelerate SF in driving AI solutions for San Francisco’s public sector challenges and be a part of the positive change.
