Event — Tech & Public Policy Hackathon with Anthropic

Join the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Tech & Public Policy (TPP) program and Anthropic , a leading AI safety and research company, for an exclusive two-day policy hackathon on April 9-10, where you’ll apply your technical expertise to test and improve AI safeguards. This is your opportunity to apply your technical expertise to one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Work directly with Anthropic’s policy team in a two-day workshop designed to test and improve safeguards for advanced AI systems.

What you’ll do

During this intensive two-day hackathon, you will:

• Apply data science methodologies to analyze and test real AI policies. 
• Use your technical skills to conduct “red team” exercises with Anthropic’s AI systems.
• Identify potential vulnerabilities through systematic testing and analysis.
• Develop evidence-based solutions to complex policy challenges.
• Collaborate with policy experts from Anthropic and fellow McCourt students.
• Transform quantitative insights into actionable policy recommendations.

Focus areas

Participants will work in teams focused on one of these critical policy domains:

• Resilience to Extremism: Terrorism, hate speech and discrimination
• Information Integrity: Misinformation, influence operations, impersonation and fraud prevention

How McCourt students will contribute their skills and expertise

Your unique combination of public policy expertise and data science skills makes you perfectly positioned to:

• Evaluate AI systems through both technical and policy lenses.
• Identify patterns and vulnerabilities.
• Design rigorous testing methodologies for comprehensive policy evaluation.
• Translate technical findings into clear policy implications.
• Apply data-driven approaches to policy development in an emerging field.

Schedule

Day 1: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 9:00am-5:00 p.m.

• Morning: Introduction to Anthropic, policy overview and methodology training.
• Afternoon: Intensive red-teaming exercises applying data science techniques to policy analysis.

Day 2: Thursday, April 10, 2025, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

• Morning: Collaborative solution development with policy experts.
• Afternoon: Presentations of data-driven policy recommendations and networking.

Eligibility

This hackathon is specifically designed for McCourt School of Public Policy students who:

• Have completed or are currently enrolled in data science coursework (e.g. MPP and MS-DSPP students).
• Have interest in technology policy and AI governance
• Can commit to both full days of the hackathon (April 9-10, 2025)

Apply by Monday, March 31, at 4:00 p.m. EST.