The University of Maryland School of Public Policy is organizing in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy, Human Rights Foundation and AI Freedom Lab: The AI Hack for Freedom III. It will be held at the National Endowment for Democracy in downtown DC from September 23-25, 2026.
The event will bring together civil society leaders from Ukraine, Venezuela, Nepal, Kenya, Russia and beyond with open-source AI engineers who are putting frontier technology to work in support of freedom, human rights and democracy. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on its potential misuse by authoritarian governments, these participants are exploring how AI can instead serve as a tool for liberty. Throughout the week at NED, teams will develop software to address real democratic challenges facing their organizations—from strengthening parliamentary transparency and election integrity to supporting independent journalism that can reach audiences despite censorship.
Join us Friday, September 25 for an exciting afternoon as we wrap up our hackathon and celebrate the winners! SPP will provide transportation to and from campus to the National Endowment for Democracy. Register Now!
Schedule:
12:15 PM - Depart from University
1:00 PM - Doors open & lunch
1:30 PM - Pitches from the teams
3:00 PM - Judges convene
3:30 PM - Announce winners
4:00 PM - Depart from DC
4:45 PM - Return to University