en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kakao announced that it co-hosted the "SSAFY X Kakao Boot Camp AI Hackathon" with Samsung Electronics on the 13th and 14th of this month at the Kakao AI Campus.
This is the first hackathon jointly organized by the two companies, aimed at linking their respective technical talent development programs, "Kakao Tech Boot Camp" and "Samsung Youth SW·AI Academy (SSAFY)." Both companies conduct developer education through the Ministry of Employment and Labor's K-Digital Training (KDT) program. This collaboration seeks to extend beyond talent development and employment support to building a developer ecosystem. A total of 12 teams (six from each company), comprising approximately 90 trainees, participated after passing preliminary selections.
The theme of this hackathon was the government-selected "Top 10 AI Projects for People's Livelihoods." Participants chose from topics such as supporting small business owners, combating voice phishing, protecting children and adolescents, and marine risk analysis. Over the course of two days and one night, they designed solutions using AI technology to address these issues and implemented them as service prototypes.
To help participants understand real-world problems and develop sustainable solutions, the event featured expert practical guidance and special lectures by current Kakao developers. Officials from the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family participated as mentors, conducting in-depth Q&A sessions.
Following final presentations and evaluations, five winning teams were selected, including recipients of the Minister of Employment and Labor Award, the Kakao Representative Award, and the Samsung Electronics Representative Award. Each winning team received 3 million won, with a total prize pool of 15 million won. The Minister of Employment and Labor Award was won by the "Golden Time" team for their "DRIFT" service, which uses AI to analyze on-site situations and assist coast guard rescue operations in the event of communication disruptions after a maritime accident. The Kakao Representative Award was won by the "SSAIKA" team, which launched the intelligent civil complaint handling service "Mintalk." The Samsung Electronics Representative Award was won by the "Unlock" team, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman's Award by the "Peanut" team, and the Korea Radio Promotion Association Chairman's Award by the "Kavengers" team.
Kim Dae-hoon, a current Kakao developer who graduated from the Kakao Tech Boot Camp, said, "It was very meaningful to use AI technology to solve social problems that are hard to encounter in practice. Planning and developing services with participants from diverse backgrounds gave me new perspectives and ideas." Kwon Dae-yeol, Head of Sustainability at Kakao, stated, "This hackathon is not only an excellent example of public-private collaboration between the government and businesses but also significant in maximizing educational outcomes through cooperation between private companies. We will continue to expand practical projects and collaborative experiences to strengthen support for talent growth and the developer ecosystem in the AI era."
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