Using Artificial Intelligence for Good

Sebastian Coso, a 23-year-old Rhode Island College senior studying computer science, emerged victorious on a team tasked with employing AI to create a project that tackles one of Rhode Island’s most pressing problems: affordable housing.

Coso was among several participants at DevFest Providence, a hackathon style hands-on event that was hosted by the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies at Rhode Island College on October 16.

Attendees at the hackathon, sponsored by Google Developer Groups Providence, Ascend Impact Advisors, Rhode Island’s AI Hub and HousingWorks RI, formed seven teams to build an app that answers three prominent questions about affordable housing: what can be built on a site; how to secure approval permits and how to fund housing proposals.

Within the span of four hours, Coso and his team, which was comprised of AI development professionals and housing experts, created an app to address funding affordable housing.

“Housing experts need capital to build projects,” Coso says. “My team created a dashboard to search for funding sources, such as federal grants and state funding.”

As a member of one of two winning teams at the hackathon, Coso will continue to build on the app every month until next February, when he and fellow colleagues will compete in the state’s AI Summit.

For Coso, who wants to pursue a career as either a software engineer or a position in AI, participating in the hackathon was enlightening.

“It was a great opportunity to build a project and connect and network with local people in Rhode Island to solve a problem,” Coso says.

The hackathon was also a revelation for Karter Riggs, a 21-year-old RIC senior who is majoring in AI and minoring in data science, math and computer science.

“I didn’t know much about housing before this,” he says. “In the future, my goal is to help small businesses implement AI. Perhaps housing developers will be the type of clients I work with.”

RIC AI Program Director and Associate Professor Tim Henry says the hackathon offered experiential learning for the students, who worked side by side with AI and housing professionals.

“This is incredibly valuable for them,” Henry says. “Our students are tackling real issues and hurdles in society. We’re using AI for good. Next, we may look at food insecurity and financial assistance for those in need.”