What must
remain human?
Part of the AI at 70 conference, the hackathon gives students 24 hours to build a working project that takes on the conference's central questions. Organized by the Dartmouth AI Club, with support from Anthropic.
Build toward a future worth having.
The most transformative innovations start from big ideas about what's possible. Over 24 hours you'll build something that shows how AI could genuinely contribute to people flourishing — and wrestle out loud with the hard questions that come with it.
A future in which AI helps eliminate disease, expand opportunity, strengthen democracy, and help people find meaning.
The conference asks two questions: Where does AI genuinely improve human decision-making? And where must judgment remain human? Each track is a lens on them. Show your answer in what you build — we want to see your thinking as much as your code.
Five lenses. Pick one.
Tracks are tailored to campus problems. Open one for example projects and the ethical questions judges will press on.
01 Biology & Physical Health Make healthcare more accessible, or help people manage physical health +
Healthcare is expensive, inaccessible, and confusing. Knowledge that could help people is locked behind jargon and paywalls — and even those with access struggle to navigate the system.
- Diagnostic aids for underserved clinics
- Patient education platforms
- Medication adherence tools
- Symptom assessment and triage
- Health literacy for treatment decisions
- Accessibility tools for navigating care
- Medical accuracy — when does this hand off to a professional?
- Privacy of deeply sensitive health data
- Bias in medical AI across populations
- Transparency about limitations
02 Neuroscience & Mental Health Expand access to mental health support and understanding +
There aren't enough therapists, stigma prevents people from seeking help, and quality care is gatekept by insurance and geography. Many suffer without understanding what's happening to them.
- Evidence-based therapeutic support tools
- Mental health literacy and psychoeducation
- Knowing when to seek professional help
- Stress and burnout prevention
- Peer support facilitation
- Tools for neurodivergent students
- Crisis situations — when is human intervention required?
- Privacy and stigma around mental health data
- Cultural competence; avoiding bad advice
- Not replacing human connection when it's needed
03 Economic Empowerment & Education Remove barriers to learning and opportunity +
Talent is universal; access to support isn't. Quality education and economic advancement stay gatekept by geography, wealth, and language.
- Adaptive tutoring
- Career transition guidance
- Financial literacy for underserved communities
- Interview prep; scholarship matching
- Small business and nonprofit support
- Practical language learning
- Who gets excluded — devices, literacy, language?
- The cost of bad advice about careers or school
- Informed choices vs. choosing for people
- Cultural assumptions about "success"
04 Governance & Collaboration Help people participate in democracy, or work together better +
Polarization makes productive dialogue hard, civic participation is down because people feel powerless, and communities can't coordinate around shared challenges.
- Community deliberation platforms
- Policy explanation and legislative transparency
- Grassroots organizing support
- Participatory budgeting
- Conflict mediation
- Nonpartisan voter education
- How could this be weaponized for manipulation?
- Whose voices get centered vs. drowned out?
- Facilitating dialogue without "both-sidesing" reality
- Privacy in civic participation
05 Creative Flourishing Amplify human creativity and help people find meaning +
As AI handles more routine work, questions about human purpose get urgent. People who could find meaning through creative expression often never get the chance.
- Community storytelling platforms
- Music and art education with real-time feedback
- Writing development tools
- Language and craft preservation
- Intergenerational knowledge exchange
- Purpose exploration guides
- Humans as creators using tools — not the reverse
- Enhancing vs. short-cutting the creative process
- Respectful celebration vs. appropriation
- Creating or destroying value for creative workers
Two days, one build.
Times firm up with the venue. Conference programming runs alongside on Thursday and Friday.
Scored out of a hundred points.
Judges are chosen by the hackathon team, led by Dartmouth faculty, and Anthropic staff may join them. A working prototype matters — so does being able to explain who it's for, who could be harmed, and what you'd do about it.
- 01Top three teams: a free, time-limited Claude Max subscription for each team member, plus Anthropic hats.
- 02First place: also a 30-minute virtual conversation after the event with someone at Anthropic whose work relates to your project.
- 03All participants: stickers. More prizes will be announced.
- Real problems for specific people — not hypothetical problems for "everyone"
- AI that empowers people rather than replacing or diminishing them
- Clear thought about who benefits, who might be harmed, and what safeguards apply
- A working prototype that demonstrates the core idea
Anthropic, in the room.
Anthropic colleagues are on site to open the hackathon and help teams as they build. A few more may join as travel allows.
Who is behind it.
A student hackathon organized by the Dartmouth AI Club, with support from Anthropic, and part of the AI at 70 conference.
Get your Claude account ready.
Bring your own Claude account so you can use features like connectors, skills, and plugins. We can't set up credits or accounts for you, so sort yours out before you arrive.
The short answers.
Do I need to know how to code?+
No. Strong teams mix builders with people who understand the problem. Chat-first prototypes are welcome, and the Build with Claude orientation on Friday will get you started.
Is there an age requirement?+
Yes. Participants must be 18 or older. Anthropic's terms require Claude account holders to be 18+, which also matches Dartmouth's protection of minors policy.
Can students from other schools take part?+
Yes. The hackathon is open to students from Dartmouth and other institutions. Register and we'll confirm details by email.
Do I need a team to register?+
Register as an individual — it's simpler, and we run team matching at check-in. Pre-formed teams are welcome; just list your teammates on the form. Teams can have up to five people.
Can I bring an existing project?+
New builds only. No commits before the Friday start time — bring ideas, sketches, and research instead.
What do I bring?+
Laptop, charger, student ID, and your own Claude account, ready to use. Meals and snacks are covered. Overnight logistics confirmed with the venue announcement.
How do I submit?+
Through the event's Devpost page: repo link, a short demo video, and written answers to the three critical questions. Link goes out with logistics one week before.