NEW YORK (Dec. 2, 2025) The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is sponsoring “AI Hack for Freedom,” the first AI-focused hackathon designed and driven by human rights advocates from countries ruled by authoritarian regimes.
Hosted by Bitcoin Park from January 17-18 in downtown Austin, Texas, the hackathon will unite global human rights defenders from HRF’s network with top open-source AI developers to push the boundaries of freedom technology.
AI Hack for Freedom will award a total of 1 BTC in prizes, including a grand prize for the most impactful project and additional track prizes recognizing standout tools across categories.
Dissidents will share their most pressing censorship, surveillance, connectivity, and financial repression challenges. Software developers will then work alongside them to design and build tools that help human rights defenders communicate, organize, and stay safe while working under repressive conditions.
Throughout the event, AI will accelerate ideation, prototyping, and iteration, enabling teams to move from concepts to working tools in hours or days instead of months or years. The event advances HRF’s vision of AI as a tool for freedom by getting urgently-needed tools into the hands of activists now while exposing them to new ways AI can strengthen their work in the future.
