Pioneering Minds AI: Grayscale Hackathon

Where builders choose sides.

AI is not black or white.

The same system that recommends the perfect textbook can also trap someone in an endless doomscroll.
The same model that summarizes medical research can generate convincing misinformation.
The same automation that frees founders from repetitive work can eliminate the jobs that once built those skills.

AI itself doesn’t choose a side. Builders do.

Grayscale Hackathon is a one-day hackathon exploring the dual nature of AI, what it can build for us, and what it can build against us.

Participants will confront the darker version of AI already present in a domain and design an AI-native product that pushes toward the better outcome.

The winning teams can secure their spot with a pitching mastear class in our next event!

The Challenge

Teams will design and prototype an AI-native product that addresses a real tension created by AI.

Your product must clearly answer:

What harmful pattern exists today — and how does your product push the other direction?

Hackathon Tracks

Participants may choose one of four tracks.

Attention

Dark: Engagement loops, doomscrolling, behavioral manipulation

Light: Focus tools, mental health support, learning acceleration

The attention economy is one of the most powerful forces in modern technology.
Build a product that gives attention back to the person who owns it.

Truth

Dark: Deepfakes, synthetic media, AI-generated misinformation

Light: Verification tools, transparency systems, trust infrastructure

Generative AI can produce misinformation at scale, but it can also detect it. Build a product that makes truth easier to find, or harder to fake.

Access

Dark: Algorithmic bias, surveillance, displacement, gatekeeping

Light: Accessibility, skills equity, democratization of opportunity

AI can concentrate power quickly. But it can also remove barriers that traditional systems never solved. Build something that levels the field.

Open Track

No domain restriction.

The only rule: Your product must clearly engage with the dual nature of AI.

Judges will ask you to explain the tension your product addresses and why your design matters.

What You'll Build

Teams will have one day to design, prototype, and present an AI-native product.
All are welcomed! Coaching and Mentorship will be provided onsite if needed.

Free Tool!

Participants also get free access to prelint — it reviews every pull request against your product specs, so what you pitch is what you built. Visit https://prelint.com to get prelint on your team.

What We'll Explore

• AI-powered product design
• Behavioral psychology in technology
• Ethical vs addictive UX patterns
• Startup monetization strategies
• Venture-style pitching

Schedule

09:00 – 09:30 Check-in & Breakfast
09:30 – 10:00 Keynote: Sharing by PMAI Team
10:00 – 10:30 Hackathon Rules & Team Formation
10:30 – 12:00 Hackathon Begins – Start Building
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch (provided on-site)
13:00 – 16:00 Continued Development (Project submission deadline: 16:30)
16:00 - 17:30 Live Project Pitches & Judging Session
17:30 – 18:00 Winners Announcement & Group Photos

Sponsorship Enquiry: https://community.pioneeringminds.ai/forms/c50df13a

Pioneering Minds AI is grateful to collaborate with ϹASTUSA and the Fordham Gabelli School of Business as co-hosts of this event, bringing together innovators, builders, and thinkers from across the AI community.

About ϹASTUSA Greater New York:
Founded in 1992 in New York, the ϹASTUSA is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization dedicated to advancing science, technology, and innovation. Its Greater New York chapter, one of the founding and most active chapters with a network of nearly 10,000 members, serves as a platform for learning, collaboration, and professional growth. Through seminars, career development programs, entrepreneurship exchanges, startup competitions, youth STEM initiatives, and annual summits, ϹASTGNY supports scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs while empowering the next generation of leaders in science and technology.

Pioneering Minds AI Group

About Pioneering Minds AI:
At pioneeringminds.ai, we grow AI native pioneers who build, deploy, and govern AI responsibly and put humans at the front seat. We help YOU - our AI pioneers - to truly understand AI and create real value out of AI.

Our mission is straightforward:

Accelerate Innovation: Equip participants with cutting-edge AI tools to deliver rapid prototypes.
Foster Collaboration: Unite diverse teams—students, engineers, and civic leaders—to tackle urban challenges head-on.
Create Lasting Impact: Offer continued mentorship and post-event partnerships so promising concepts can scale beyond the weekend.