ICEA’s TruthTell Hackathon sees 36% of its applications from women

India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA)’s TruthTell Hackathon is a collaborative initiative with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting catering to real time misinformation detection in live broadcasts. It aims to bring together top talent in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to develop real-time tools for detecting and flagging misinformation.“TruthTell is about ensuring that truth prevails and with modern tools,” Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of ICEA said. “The response has been absolutely staggering. We have more than 5000 entries and 36% are women. I’m very encouraged because tiger economies are only possible if there is a 40% plus participation of women in the workforce.”

A tiger economy is a country with a rapidly growing economy, often accompanied by an increase in the standard of living. The term originated with the Four Asian Tigers, which are Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Driven by exports and rapid industrialization, the Four Asian Tigers have steadily retained a high rate of economic growth since the 1960s, joining the ranks of the richest countries in the world.

The objectives of the Hackathon are to raise awareness about the impact of misinformation, enhance media transparency, promote ethical and responsible AI use in media, showcase innovative AI tools and technologies, encourage industry collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Mohindroo said that the initiative is a run-up to WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) and that ICEA is in the process of shortlisting from the 5500-odd registrations that it received. The organisation will shortlist the top 25 registrations which would then go to WAVES where the final award presentation and ceremony will happen at the Summit in February.

ICEA is working with NGOs, journalists, broadcasters and tech companies to understand the entire ecosystem of both broadcasting as well as AI, natural language processing and marrying that knowledge to its expertise in software and hardware.

It describes the initiative as being one dedicated to fostering technology that prioritizes truth and transparency. By offering accessible, real-time fact-checking capabilities, it said the event will empower media verticals/platforms across the spectrum and viewers to make informed decisions during live events and news coverage.

The Hackathon is a part of Create in India Challenge – Season 1, an initiative under the inaugural edition of WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) organised by the Government of India, aimed at bolstering the influence of India’s media and entertainment industry on a global level.