US AI Policy Hackathon
[1/24 EDIT] Our event page has gone LIVE! Click here to access our Notion page that has first-round prompts, formatting requirements, and the submission link. First round policy briefs are due February 1, 11:59pm PST. Please register on Luma so you can still be added to our Slack channel.
**Note: This is a PARTNER event. If you do not have a partner yet, please use the partner matching sheet linked in the FAQs below**
Are you a college student that finds yourself thinking about the impacts of AI? Want to create solutions to regulate it?
Berkeley AI Safety Initiative (BASIS) is hosting our inaugural federal AI policy hackathon! Instead of a traditional hackathon, participants will have the chance to create federal policy solutions for one of three important topics in AI regulation:
Deepfakes and Election Integrity
Data Centers and Community Impact
Export Controls and National Security
If you want to get involved in AI policy discourse, learn from experts in the field, and have the chance to win from a prize pool of over $4000, sign up!
Timeline:
Our hackathon is split into two rounds. All times are in Pacific Time:
First Round (Virtual)
January 23, 9AM: Prompts Released
January 23-30: Co-working sessions (locations TBA)
February 1, 11:59PM: First Round Submissions Due
Final Round (Invite-only in Berkeley, CA): February 27 - March 1
More information is available on this website.
FAQs:
Who can participate?
[EDIT 1/15]: We will also allow folks who have graduated a university program within the past year to participate.
Anyone currently enrolled in a US university is eligible to participate. No prior experience in policy or AI is needed!
**You must be at least 18 years of age, US-based, and a current undergraduate or graduate student to participate.**
Do I need a team?
Yes, you are required to be on a team. All teams must have 2 participants. If you do not have a team, you can find a team member using our partner matching sheet.
What are the requirements?
For the first round, participants will submit only the executive summary of a policy brief. If selected as a finalist, participants will only then develop the executive summary into a full policy brief, which will then be presented in-person to judges in Berkeley, CA on March 1, 2026.
If selected for the final round, will I be flown out?
Yes, all expenses related to travel and accommodation will be covered.
Since this is a hackathon, will we be writing code?
Participants will write policy briefs, not computer code. The hackathon takes its name from the style of competition in which individuals come together to solve problems collaboratively and compete in teams.
Questions?
Reach out to the organizers:
Natalia Trounce, [email protected]
Manas Khatore, [email protected]
Vinaya Sivakumar, [email protected]