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Call for Participation: WBA Hackathon 2016

One of the reasons why we should learn from the brain to realize AGI is its autonomy, which here means the continuous cognition-action loop in which it recognizes its environment, makes decisions, and acts.  In this hackathon, participants create ‘something’ based on a prototype brain-like cognitive architecture that interacts and learns via sensors and actuators in a game engine environment.

Achievements will be juried and honored in terms of being “amazing,” “interesting,” and “brain-like.”  Achievements with a high rating will be nominated for a secondary review at joint workshops on November 11 as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Japanese Society for AI.  The winner will be awarded  with a cash prize.

Date: October 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2016
Venue: Raiohsha, Keio University Hiyoshi campus, Yokohama, Japan
Cost: No fee for attendance. Participants may incur travel and lodging expenses.   See below for financial aids for students.
Lodging: We recommend participants to lodge on campus for better communication.
In case you do, confirm it from the registration form.
Registration: register with the following form by September 20th.
The Registration Form
Registration may be declined if the number of participants exceeds the limit, or the summary given is judged irrelevant to WBA or antisocial.

Criteria for Evaluation
The reviews will be based on the following criteria:

  • originality
  • engineering applicability
  • fun
  • technical difficulty
  • neuroscientific plausibility

Important dates

  • CFP: 9/1
  • Sample code to be released: 9/12
  • Demonstration on the third JSAI AGI workshop: 9/12
  • End of Registration:  9/20
  • Hackathon: 10/8-10
    • Primary Review: 10/10 afternoon
  • Final Presentation and Secondary Review (at JSAI workshops) : 11/11日
    • Final Presentation: 10:00-12:00
    • Secondary Review: 12:00-13:00
    • Awarding Ceremony at the JSAI anniversary: 16:00-16:40

Software Resources

Sample code includes a virtual environment with an agent with reinforcement learning and AI platforms.  Visit here for details.  The default programming language at the hackathon will be Python.

Financial aids for students

Students meeting all the following conditions will be eligible for financial aids with regard to travel and lodging expenses up to JPY100,000/person.  Application can be made from the registration form.

  • You should fully participate in the hackathon at the Hiyoshi campus of Keio University on October 8th, 9th and 10th.
  • At least one member of your group attends the secondary review on November 11th if nominated (negotiable for remote attendance).
  • Your work at the hackathon is published on GitHub under the WBAI Contributor Agreement.

License issue

WBAI solicits participants to published the work on GitHub under the WBAI Contributor Agreement.

For any questions, please contact info@wba-initiative.org.

One Response to Call for Participation: WBA Hackathon 2016

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