The Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (CAIRLab) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST), in partnership with IBM, will host the SecureAI Hackathon 2026 from September 28 to 30, bringing together innovators to develop practical solutions to privacy and security challenges associated with artificial intelligence (AI).
The three-day hackathon, organised under CAIRLab’s SecureAI Project, which is funded by ONR Global, will be held in a hybrid format, combining online participation with on-campus activities.
The initiative is open to students, software developers, cybersecurity enthusiasts, AI and machine-learning practitioners, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and other technology enthusiasts.
Participants will work in teams to develop user-friendly solutions that can help people identify and mitigate privacy and security risks when interacting with AI tools.
The hackathon comes amid growing concerns about the security and privacy implications of the increasing adoption of AI. These include the inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information, exposure to misleading or manipulated outputs and other security risks associated with the use of AI systems.
Through the competition, participants will explore real-world problems at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, privacy, software development and responsible technology.
Rather than focusing solely on theoretical approaches, teams will be expected to transform their ideas into working solutions with practical applications. The programme will also provide participants with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in addressing contemporary AI and cybersecurity challenges while collaborating with people from different technical and professional backgrounds.
Participating teams will develop and demonstrate their solutions during the three-day event, with emphasis on technical effectiveness, creativity, usability and practical relevance.
A cash prize will be awarded to the top-performing team.
Registration for the SecureAI Hackathon 2026 is open until September 27, 2026.
Interested participants can register for the SecureAI Hackathon 2026.
