The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is teaming with the digital media platform UrbanGeekz on a special event designed to remove algorithmic bias from the housing and lending sectors.
The inaugural Tech Equity Hackathon will be held June 16–18 at American University in Washington, D.C. The event is open to all U.S. residents and airfare, accommodations, meals, and ground transportation will be provided at no cost to applicants who are selected to attend; applications for the event are now online, with a May 16 deadline.
During the Hackathon, participants will be divided into teams, and each team will be given one of three problem statements that deal with appraisals, mortgage underwriting, and algorithmic fairness. NFHA will award $40,000 in cash prizes plus giveaways during the event, which will also feature interactive workshops and networking opportunities.
“NFHA has been at the forefront of addressing the biases that people of color and women face in the housing and financial services industries,” said Dr. Michael Akinwumi, NFHA’s chief tech equity officer. “Our Tech Equity Initiative is a multi-faceted effort designed to eliminate bias in algorithmic-based systems used in housing and financial services, increase transparency and explainability for AI tools, outline ethical standards for responsible tech, advance effective policies for regulating AI tools, and increase diversity and inclusion in the tech field. This Hackathon is one way we’re diversifying the pipeline of technologists so that we can achieve these goals.”
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