Solve for the City AI Hackathon (w/ The AI Collective)
Solve for the City AI Hackathon
Build an AI solution for a real problem in your community, unlock rewards.
Pick an AI tool. Choose a challenge. Build.
Get a verified, Linkedin-ready, data-driven professional certification and $250 credit.
🗓 Online or In-Person (Open Across Toronto Tech Week)
🌍 Open to participants across Canada and globally
📍 In-Person Option (Limited Spots)
May 27, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location provided upon approval
Description
Anyone can build.
Solve for the City is a practical, community-focused AI hackathon running during Toronto Tech Week.
Pick a real issue in your city — transit delays, access to care, small business challenges, housing, local services — and build a simple AI solution that could make things better.
You don’t need to be a developer.
You don’t need a team.
You just need a problem you care about or a desire to learn and experiment.
How it works
Apply to join
Share what you’d like to build or what tool you'd like to experiment with, and why it matters.Get access
Approved participants receive access to the resources, certification, and challenge platform, including a $250 credit.Build at your own pace
Work from home, a café, or join us in person in Toronto.Share what you’ve made
Create something practical — even a small step forward counts.
What you get
$250 credit toward ThinkingThroughAI credentials (good for for 5 Linkedin-ready, transcript-integrated, employer-ready AI certifications)
Includes free export of your Linkedin-ready verified, triple-endorsed certificate and transcript proving what you've learned and built
A chance to connect with other problem-solvers and learners
Opportunity to be featured to the TTAI and AI Collective communities
In-person option (Toronto)
Selected applicants can join us on May 26 for an exclusive gathering:
Work alongside others in a shared space
Ask questions and get support
Build together for a few focused hours
Who this is for
Students and early-career professionals
Community builders and problem-solvers
Small business owners and operators
Anyone interested in using AI in a practical way
Application (required)
What city are you building for?
What problem would you like to work on?
Will you join in person or online?
How did you hear about this?
Theme
Practical AI for real communities
No pressure to build something perfect.
Start small, build something useful, and share it.
If a rat can cook, the rest of us can build.
ThinkingThroughAI (TTAI) is democratizing critical AI literacy, making it easy for anyone to catch up on AI, keep up effortlessly, and prove it to get ahead in the market. Backed by global AI leaders.
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.