Hackathons: Your Secret Weapon for AI Adoption
Hackathons bridge the AI adoption gap, empowering teams to learn, build, and embrace change through hands-on experience.
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Companies understand AI's importance, yet actual adoption lags significantly.
In my own capacity as Chief People Officer and now VP, Platform and Product Marketing, I have seen firsthand varied adoption and usage of AI.
In most cases leadership embraces AI, but employees often hesitate and aren’t sure where to begin.
This creates a substantial gap between recognizing AI’s value and truly integrating it into our daily work.
This reluctance isn't a tech flaw; it's a "people problem" rooted in fear and uncertainty about AI's impact on their roles and job security.
In this post I will share my experience running hackathons as a way to drive adoption and impacting business, especially when it comes to a ubiquitous technology like AI.
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The Power of the Hackathon
A hackathon can bridge the gap between AI's potential and your workforce's hesitation.
This strategic intervention removes fear, supercharges skill development, and helps employees envision AI's real-world impact on their daily tasks. It flips the script from top-down mandates to an empowered, hands-on approach, yielding operationalizable applications.
Let's Look at the Numbers
After attending a tech-sponsored hackathon, the likelihood of developers adopting that technology rose by approximately 20%.
Hackathons provide unparalleled opportunities for rapid knowledge and skill development.
Participants experiment with new tools and processes in a low-stakes environment, significantly enhancing their practical understanding and problem-solving abilities.
Over 80% of Fortune 100 companies utilize hackathons to drive innovation, with many organizing recurring events to sustain this creative output and continuously refine their employees' problem-solving capabilities.
The Psychology of Engagement
Hackathons are a powerful antidote to the fear of new technology.
They provide a real-world AI laboratory where employees, guided by mentors, build tangible prototypes.
Hackathons foster transparency, directly combating the fear that arises from uncertainty about AI's use.
Participants engage with real business challenges, observe AI models in action, and present their creations to leadership.
During a hackathon, employees shift their perception of AI from a job threat to a powerful tool for augmentation.
They identify tasks that can be automated, thereby liberating themselves for higher-value work that requires human creativity and critical thinking.
Sustaining the Momentum
The post-hackathon buzz is potent, but its lasting value depends on clear follow-through.
Leaders must establish a funded path to move the best ideas from prototype to full production, demonstrating genuine commitment to employee contributions and organizational transformation.
Embrace hackathons as a strategic cultural catalyst, de-risking your AI journey and cultivating a skilled, confident workforce ready to leverage AI as a powerful ally.
AI in HR Today
with Anthony Onesto
Subscribe for exclusive insights from Anthony Onesto, Chief People Officer at Suzy, and learn how AI is reshaping HR, enhancing employee engagement, and driving business success.