AI Data Jam: over 50 IT specialists in Kyiv trained artificial intelligence to accelerate demining

Thirteen teams of IT specialists and engineers worked on creating artificial intelligence models capable of automatically detecting explosive ordnance (EO) in images from drones.

The event took place in the Unit.City innovation park and was a continuation of the AI Labeling Sprint that previously occurred on May 5 in Kyiv. The goal of such hackathons is to implement innovative technologies in demining in order to more quickly clear Ukrainian territories contaminated with mines and EO.

Based on over 8,000 training and 23,000 testing images, which included aerial photographs annotated by participants of the first hackathon, the participants of the second stage — AI Data Jam — spent two days developing highly efficient artificial intelligence algorithms for the automatic recognition of mines and other EO.

The participants worked both offline and remotely, while mentoring support for the teams was provided by experts from the organizations UADamage, The HALO Trust, and Dropla Tech.

The winner was the MineWatch AI team, which best trained the AI model. For their work, the participants received a certificate for $2,000 from the UNDP in Ukraine and the Government of Luxembourg. As well as the opportunity to further develop their product in cooperation with specialists practically engaged in demining.

"What started as an experiment has grown into a full-fledged project with international support and real results. Thanks to each and everyone who found the time and opportunity to invest themselves in this important cause. The motivation is incredible: through joint efforts, we must create a unique product that will help clear Ukraine of mine waste, that is, make it safer meter by meter. Without risk to life, with maximum involvement of technologies," emphasized Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

"Ukraine today demonstrates an impressive level of innovation in the field of humanitarian demining. What we see — is the future being created right now. Our goal — is to make innovations accessible to everyone working in this field. For UNDP, it is important that this hackathon unites all key participants — the government, veterans, technology teams, the public, and international partners," noted Benjamin Lark, Head of the Mine Action Programme of UNDP in Ukraine, during the event.

The data collected during the hackathons and the created AI models will become the basis for further training and improvement of artificial intelligence algorithms. After the testing stage, these technologies will be gradually integrated into humanitarian demining processes. This will help significantly accelerate the clearance of Ukrainian lands from mines and other explosive ordnance, making demining more effective and safe. The developed solutions will have the potential for application not only in Ukraine but also internationally.

The hackathon was organized by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Demine Ukraine initiative, the Centre for Humanitarian Demining, and the Ukrainian company UADamage with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and funding from the Government of Luxembourg.