Abu Dhabi, August 6 (WAM) - Rabdan Academy, in collaboration with the Safe Communities Forum of the Ministry of Interior, organized a hackathon entitled "Safe Digital Games: Innovation for a Secure Digital Community", which was attended by students from several universities in the country. The aim of the event was to develop innovative AI-based solutions to address the risks associated with video games and enhance digital safety.

The hackathon was organized in line with the UAE's Artificial Intelligence strategy, as well as its national priorities aimed at enhancing digital trust and cyber resilience, and supporting efforts to build a secure digital community.

His Excellency Salem سعيد السعيدي, Deputy President of the Academy, said that the hackathon exemplified the importance of cooperation between government and academic institutions in empowering young people to develop practical solutions for digital challenges. He emphasized that innovative ideas are fundamental to building safer digital environments.

The competition was based on preliminary findings from a research study prepared by the Safe Communities Forum in collaboration with Rabdan Academy, which addressed the main challenges faced by video game users, including hate speech, extremist content, weak reporting mechanisms, and early targeting of young people.

Students from Rabdan Academy, the United Arab Emirates University, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the University of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa University for Science and Technology, Zayed University, and the Military College of Zayed participated in the hackathon. They developed AI-based solutions to monitor harmful behaviors, enhance supervision of gaming platforms, improve reporting mechanisms, and protect users.

A team comprising students from Rabdan Academy and a number of participating universities won the award for best project, after developing an AI-supported digital platform to monitor indicators of cyberbullying, exploitation, and radical recruitment attempts. The platform also provides appropriate guidance for different age groups and refers dangerous cases to relevant authorities for review.

The hackathon emphasized the importance of partnership between government entities, academic institutions, and the industrial sector in converting research outcomes into practical solutions, and enhancing young people’s readiness to employ AI technologies in confronting challenges in the digital society.