As part of HKUST's 35th Anniversary, the Firebird Hackathon Demo Day was held on August 8. Co-organized by MAAHKUST, Blue Bay Incubator, and HKGAI, the event featured remarks from the Honorable Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member for the Technology and Innovation Constituency, and Prof. Hui Kai-Lung, Associate Vice-President (Academic Development) at HKUST. It exemplified HKUST's commitment to turning academic excellence into real-world impact and highlighted the synergies between its alumni network and Hong Kong's innovation ecosystem.

The competition drew over 200 students from 104 teams. After an online preliminary round, 20 teams advanced to Demo Day, presenting their prototypes to a panel of academics, cloud architects, AI researchers, and industry leaders.

Two tracks were offered. In the Challenge Track, Firebird 404 won with "TrustShield," an AI platform for contract risk management. In the Open Track, Legendary Horizons won with "PAL," an interactive plush toy for children's learning. Two roundtables explored AI market opportunities and governance, emphasizing the importance of uniqueness and human oversight as AI takes on a greater role in decision-making.

For more event details, please visit: https://hkust.edu.hk/boundless/article/building-what-runs-how-hkust-firebird-hackathon-shapes-future-ai