Beirut AI 2019 : Year in Review
It is almost 2020. The year is ending. The decade is ending. But, we’re just getting started! 2019 has been one incredible year, one that we’re hoping will set the tone for many years to come. This year Beirut AI organized more than twenty events, spanning across multiple formats and audiences. We were able to reach so many of you and are hoping we can reach even more in the coming years. Because it’s important to look back and appreciate all that has happened as well as see how we can do even better, here’s a quick look back at what Beirut AI did in 2019.
But before we get into it! The January 2020 Bootcamp!
One of our biggest hits this year was the Beirut AI Bootcamp! We are beyond proud of everyone who participated in this amazing experience. And because it was such a memorable and educational experience for you and for us, we are happy to announce that a second one is on the way!
Make sure you sign up now to guarantee your seat in this six-day whirlwind of AI hands-on workshops 💻
Our Year in Review
Going National and International
This year has been incredible, we started it off by expanding beyond Beirut and into Tripoli in collaboration with OEA (Order of Engineers and Architects). But we didn’t just go national this year! We went international with our collaborations! Thanks to Riyadh AI our team at Beirut AI was able to give our introductory workshop in Alfaisal University in Riyadh.
The University Tour
2019 also brought forth the Beirut AI university tour! We went across many universities in Lebanon from Lebanese American University (LAU), American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanese University — Roumieh & Hadath (LU), to American University of Science and Technology (AUST), Beirut Arab University (BAU) and others... Our tour aimed to ensure we prepare the Lebanese youth for the Fourth Industrial Revolution with AI as a tool that they can use to make change both inside and outside of Lebanon. With the right enthusiasm, work ethic and tools we will be able to create a workforce that will make Lebanon the AI hub of the MENA region!
The Datathon
We know that this dream of becoming a hub is possible! In April, Beirut AI helped facilitate an International Datathon at the American University of Science and Technology (AUST). The participants spent 3 days working on the provided cases and some of the teams made it to the finals. This proves to us that the raw talent in Lebanon is present and all they need is a small push to make a huge difference.
The Bootcamp
With that knowledge in hand we knew that with our resources as Beirut AI and the talent that is present we can make a great impact. That’s how one of the biggest events of our year came into fruition! The Bootcamp!
After months of preparation August witnessed Beirut AI’s first ever Bootcamp! It was a six day trip to the AI Galaxy that prepped our participants for many variations of challenges they might face in their journey towards mastering AI. We went through many different kinds of machine learning concepts that exposed the attendees to the breadth of the AI field and got them ready for the final day’s hackathon! We were beyond amazed at what the community is capable of and we can’t wait to see what more they have in store.
Because we know that there is so much more that our community can do, we’re excited to announce the second edition of the bootcamp! We will make sure every participant leaves with a portfolio of hands-on projects that they can always look back on when faced with any new AI challenges!
Make sure you sign up now to guarantee your spot!
Other Collaborations and Wins
In an effort to reach as many of the AI enthusiasts in Lebanon we collaborated with multiple communities and companies this year!
We want to thank all the communities that welcomed us and that helped us get closer to reaching our goals and achieving our mission ❤️
This year we collaborated with Berytech, Bank Audi, IEEE Women in Engineering, Codi and GDG Coast Lebanon to provide several different workshops and presentations on AI catering particularly to each audience.
We also expanded our content and provided multiple articles that tackle different issues from how to build an AI community to explaining the big picture of an AI project.
We are very proud to say that one of our team members also gave a TEDx talk about the state of AI and how Beirut AI is reaching out to everyone who is trying to improve and master their AI skills. You can watch Alaa’s TEDx talk below.
Our Community Transitions from Consuming Content to Creating it
We’ve had some pretty incredible wins this year, but one that is dear to us stems from the workshop that we had this December.
One of our community members who previously attended all of our workshops and events decided to take the initiative to provide a workshop himself. Samer Salameh gave a workshop this month (December 2019) where he guided participants with a previous knowledge in SQL and an interest in AI on how to combine these two skill sets using Python to add Machine Learning directly into a SQL database.
We know that our community is extremely talented and giving and we’re excited to see what they have in store for the coming year.
At the end of the year, no matter how many times we’ve said thank you to our community it will never be enough. We are grateful to have such an engaged and enthusiastic community of people who are always hungry to learn more. Thank you for helping us reach our dreams, continuously bringing us closer to achieving our mission of making AI accessible to all and finally for always helping us mold our mission to better suit you and your needs so we can all continue to grow together 🚀🚀
We can’t wait to see you in 2020 and we hope your 2019 year was as fruitful and inspiring as ours!
Here’s to a new exciting year! Enjoy your holidays!
If you would like more details on what we did every month of the year you can follow the links below.
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Please note that for the month of November we stood in solidarity with the Lebanese people as they fought for their rights to a better life 🇱🇧
Any topics you would like us to cover?
Drop a comment or send us an email at info@beirutai.org
You can even join us on slack
For more information visit www.beirutai.org
