Defensive acceleration (def/acc) – building better defensive technology – may be one of the most important leverage points we have for managing AI risk. We believe the most powerful solution to technological risk is often more technology. 

This hackathon is sponsored by Halcyon Futures. We are bringing in 1000+ builders to prototype defensive systems that could protect us from AI-enabled biosecurity and cyber threats. You'll have one intensive weekend to build something real, to turn ideas into MVPs. 

Top teams get:

• 💰$20,000 in total prizes

• A fully-funded trip to London for BlueDot's December incubator week (Dec 1-5, for the most promising projects)

• A guaranteed spot in BlueDot's AGI Strategy course

Apply if you think strengthening the shield is as important as blunting the spear!

In this hackathon, you can build:

• Environmental pathogen surveillance system that monitors wastewater and airport screening data to detect novel threats before outbreaks spread

• AI red-teaming tool that uses advanced models to automatically find vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and privately disclose them to operators

• AI control dashboard that uses trusted models to monitor potentially dangerous AI systems and flag misaligned behavior before deployment

• Memory safety refactoring tool that helps convert C/C++ codebases to Rust, eliminating the 70% of vulnerabilities caused by memory errors

• Pursue other defensive projects that advance the field of AI safety!

You will work in teams over one weekend and submit open-source forecasting models, benchmark suites, scenario analyses, policy briefs, or empirical studies that advance our understanding of AI development timelines and trajectories.

What is def/acc?

Def/acc is about building technology to protect us from the biggest threats we face – everything from pandemics and cybercrime to powerful AI itself. It's the idea that the most powerful solution to technological risk is often more technology. It's a way to reconcile technological optimism with taking dangerous capabilities seriously.

When we think about emerging threats from AI, we broadly have two options: "blunt the spear" or "strengthen the shield." The first means slowing down or regulating the technology; the second means building better defensive technology. This hackathon is mainly about strengthening the shield.

Of course, technology alone won't save us. But whatever you believe about the impact of policy work or governance efforts, better defensive technology is close to a free lunch. And right now, we're dramatically underinvested in it.

Why this hackathon?

The Problem

AI is fundamentally changing what's possible for both attackers and defenders. Language models can guide pathogen design. Automated tools discover software vulnerabilities faster than humans can patch them. The attack surface is expanding while our defensive infrastructure – biosurveillance systems, cybersecurity tools, coordination mechanisms – remains fragmented and slow to adapt.

We face an uncomfortable asymmetry: offensive capabilities are democratizing rapidly while defensive capabilities lag behind. A biology graduate student with access to AI and modest resources can now explore dangerous directions that previously required specialized laboratory infrastructure. Meanwhile, our biosurveillance systems still struggle to detect novel threats until after substantial community spread.

Why Defensive Acceleration Matters Now

There are certain types of technology that much more reliably make the world better than other types of technology. We need active human intention to choose the directions that we want.

Right now, we're under-indexing on defensive technologies. The bulk of AI safety effort flows into alignment research and governance proposals, both valuable, but comparatively little goes into building the defensive infrastructure we need regardless of how those other challenges resolve.

That gap represents both a risk and an opportunity. Better defensive technology could:

• Give us early warning of biological threats before they become pandemics

• Help defenders keep pace with AI-enabled cyber attacks

• Enable coordination at the speed modern threats require

• Buy us time to solve harder problems like alignment

• Create proof points that defensive tech can scale and succeed

Hackathon Tracks

1. Biosecurity Defenses:

• Environmental pathogen surveillance and early warning systems (wastewater + airport + clinical data)

• DNA synthesis screening tools

• Rapid response coordination platforms

• Automated threat assessment for novel pathogens

2. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Protection:

• Defensive AI for detecting novel attack patterns

• AI-powered red-teaming tools for critical infrastructure

• Automated vulnerability assessment and patching

• Tools for securing critical infrastructure

3. Cross-Cutting Defense Approaches:

• AI control dashboards (trusted models monitoring untrusted models)

• Forecasting systems for emerging bio/cyber threats

• Threat intelligence sharing with privacy-preserving coordination

• Cognitive defense tools (protecting information ecosystems)

• Economic models for sustainable def/acc funding

• Frameworks accelerating prototype-to-production transitions

Or whatever defensive gap you identify. These are directions, not constraints. If you see a critical defensive need and can prototype a solution in 48 hours, build that.

Who should participate?

This hackathon is for people who want to build solutions to technological risk using technology itself.

You should participate if:

• You're an engineer or developer who wants to work on consequential problems

• You're a researcher ready to validate ideas through practical implementation

• You believe that strengthening the shield is as important as blunting the spear

• You have technical skills and genuine urgency about building better defenses

• You're frustrated that defensive work is underfunded relative to its importance

You don't need deep domain expertise in biosecurity or cybersecurity, though it helps. What matters: ability to build functional systems, willingness to learn quickly over a compressed timeframe, and real conviction that this work matters.

Some of the most valuable defensive innovations come from people who aren't constrained by conventional thinking about how things "should" be done. Fresh perspectives combined with solid technical capabilities often yield the most novel approaches.

What you will do

Participants will:

• Form teams or join existing groups.

• Develop projects over an intensive hackathon weekend.

• Submit open-source forecasting models, scenario analyses, monitoring tools, or empirical research advancing our understanding of AI trajectories

What happens next

Winning and promising projects will be:

• Awarded with $10,000 worth of prizes in cash.

• Awarded a fully-funded trip to London to take part in BlueDot Impact's December Incubator Accelerator week (Dec 1-5)

• Guaranteed spot in BlueDot Impact AGI Strategy course.

• Invited to continue development within the Apart Fellowship.

Why join?

• Impact: Your work may directly inform AI governance decisions and help society prepare for transformative AI

• Mentorship: Expert forecasters, AI researchers, and policy practitioners will guide projects throughout the hackathon

• Community: Collaborate with peers from across the globe working to understand AI's trajectory and implications

• Visibility: Top projects will be featured on Apart Research's platforms and connected to follow-up opportunities