Gloo announces second annual AI & the Church Hackathon focused on ‘Redemptive Technology’

The Boulder-based hackathon will increase participants, cash prizes, and post-hackathon acceleration

BOULDER, Colo., May 29, 2024 – Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem and releasing its collective might, announced that it will hold its second annual AI & the Church Hackathon event from September 13-15, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado. The event is aimed at rapidly advancing artificial intelligence-based technology to serve the faith community.  

In addition to convening technologists who will develop AI-based solutions to serve the Church, organizational and network leaders will gather for working group sessions on the responsible use of AI. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, who also serves as the Gloo Chairman of the Board, will address the teams on “The Power of AI to Do Good.” Other working group participants include YouVersion, who will also be part of the judging panel again; Ed Stetzer, Dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola; and leaders from faith technologies like Right Now Media, ACS Technologies, and PushPay. 

The 2023 hackathon was a first-of-its-kind event that drew 41 teams who spent the weekend building AI-based tech in four categories: addressing church administration, equipping church leaders, deepening intimacy with God, and a “wild-card” category. Submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges that included Gloo CEO Scott Beck, YouVersion CTO James Chung, and VP of Software and Experience at RightNow Media Scott Mosley. The hackathon awarded a total of $250,000 in cash prizes to the winning teams.  

This year, the hackathon theme is “Redemptive Technology,” as Gloo seeks to expand the event, making space for up to 300 participants while offering a total of $250,000 in cash prizes. The event invites teams to build AI-powered solutions across categories focused on supporting the thriving of churches and the advancement of human flourishing. Teams will also be eligible to apply for additional acceleration funding after the hackathon. 

“While pastors have differing views of AI, we’ve discovered in our ongoing research with Barna Group that the majority of pastors believe that God can work through AI. This underscores the need to explore and invest in technologists and solutions that can help people flourish,” said Steele Billings, head of AI and Gloo Ventures — a division aimed at investing in and accelerating innovative technologies that support human flourishing. “At Gloo, we want to enable the Church to use AI for good. By hosting the hackathon, our goal is to create a space for Kingdom-minded technologists to come together, share ideas and ultimately create solutions that honor God and serve the entire Church.”

Nick Skytland and Ali Llewellyn from Quite Uncommon, a strategy and technology firm that served the 2023 event, will help facilitate the hackathon again this year. Skytland and Llewellyn bring their collective experience as designers and organizers of some of the world’s largest hackathons in government, academia and the Church.

“Last year, we saw some of the most talented and passionate technologists come together and leverage AI to serve the Church,“ said Llewellyn. “At this year’s event, we will continue to harness the transformative power of AI and apply it in new and redemptive ways in order to advance the big C Church. Together, we’ll build, create and reimagine technology as a catalyst for the thriving of the Church.”

Applications for the AI & the Church Hackathon will be accepted in early June. To join the waitlist or learn more information about the event, visit www.gloo.us/hackathon. 

Originally published on Religion News May 29, 2024

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Gloo is the trusted platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. As a leading technology innovator, Gloo is a tech platform that connects ministry leaders to resources, people, data and insights and funding so their people and communities flourish and their organizations thrive. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado.