The AI & the
Church Hackathon

AI & the Church Hackathon to Award $1 Million to Faith-Driven Developers

The October event aims to foster innovation and pursue AI-powered technologies for faith-based purposes.

BOULDER, Colo., July 12, 2023 – Gloo, the leading technology platform dedicated to connecting the faith ecosystem and releasing its collective might, announced a first-of-its-kind event, The AI & the Church Hackathon event, aimed at rapidly advancing artificial intelligence-based technology to serve the faith community. The Hackathon will take technologists from around the world and will take place October 6-8, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. The event will focus on exploring how artificial intelligence can be used for good. Winning creators will see their work accelerated by business development contracts with Gloo and qualify for several awards from a $1 million funding pool. 

Event participants will be invited to build applications across various categories to support a wide spectrum of ministry-related functions, including church administration, digital giving, database management, workflow automation, discipleship, content creation, and graphic design. Hackathon submissions could include new web applications, native mobile applications, and plugins that leverage the Gloo platform.

“Our platform was built for faith-driven creators to be able to build powerful technologies, collaborate, safely share data with other organizations, and launch sustainable products that lead to stronger ministries and ultimately human flourishing,” said Steele Billings, Head of Gloo Exchange and AI Initiatives at Gloo. 

Nick Skytland and Ali Llewellyn of Quite Uncommon, who have run some of the world’s largest hackathons in government, academia, and the Church, will co-host the event with Gloo.

“Gloo is asking the question: what if a technology of the magnitude of AI was pointed at a major problem in the world today: human flourishing?” said Skytland. “There are talented technologists around the world who long to use their skills and talents for higher purposes, such as helping people grow and reach their greatest potential.”

Gloo has also partnered with Cru’s Indigitous and Faith.Tech, both of whom have hosted hackathons and networking events for faith-driven technologists for the last eight years. Together, these organizations hope to enable, rally, and inspire the talents of technologists who are passionate about leveraging technology to serve the faith ecosystem.

Applications for the AI & the Church Hackathon are now open, with attendees already committed from North America, Europe, and Africa. To apply or for more information on the event, visit www.gloo.us/ai. 

Originally published on RNS Press, July 13, 2023

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Gloo is the trusted platform that releases the collective might of the faith ecosystem. As a leading technology innovator, Gloo connects people, partners, world-class content, funding opportunities, and more to help ministries achieve their goals and change more lives. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado, employing a team of more than 150 people.