TAI Hackathon: Build with OpenAI [29 June]
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TAI Hackathon: Build with OpenAI [29 June]
Developer-focused hackathon & workshop with $80,000 credits in total prizes over 2 tracks
Jun 18, 2026
📅 Date: 29 June 2026
⏰ Time: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM JST
📍 Location: Tokyo, Hongo
🔗 Register: https://luma.com/oiaa9x0o(copy-paste if not working)
Intro
This hackathon, hosted by OpenAI and Tokyo AI, is a hands-on developer session focused on the rapid prototyping of AI-native applications.
Designed for intermediate and advanced developers, engineers, and startup builders, the session provides a technical environment to explore B2B automation and open-ended consumer use cases.
Participants will engage in collaborative development, supported by OpenAI engineers Tyler Ryu and Kaz Sera, to implement AI agents and integrate advanced tools into real-world workflows.
Agenda
- 04:00 PM – 04:30 PM: Introduction & Technical Context. (Set the stage with OpenAI engineers discussing current toolsets and the day’s objectives.)
- 04:30 PM – 06:15 PM: Hacking & Collaborative Prototyping. (The core development period, for technical execution and mentorship from the OpenAI team.)
- 06:15 PM – 07:00 PM: Project Showcases & Technical Feedback. (Presenting the results of the two tracks: B2B Solutions and Consumer/Creative Use Cases.)
- 07:00 PM – 08:00 PM: Awards, Food, Closing
Details
Participants will work across two key tracks (check for updates on the event page). The strongest projects usually combine technical execution with a deep understanding of a specific user problem or industry workflow. Participants are encouraged to research a domain or problem space in advance.
B2B Solutions
Build tools that help organizations streamline operations and unlock productivity with AI.
Potential areas include:
- Documentation and knowledge workflows
- Legacy system integration
- Marketing and content operations
- Legal and compliance workflows
- Internal copilots and AI agents
- AI-powered creative generation and asset production
Japan presents especially interesting opportunities due to highly specialized documentation, operational workflows, and language requirements.
Consumer & Creative Use Cases
Explore more open-ended consumer applications and creative AI experiences.
This track is intentionally broad to encourage original thinking and experimentation across entertainment, productivity, social experiences, design, media, and beyond.
Operational Details
- Selections by: 22nd June
- Capacity: 40-50 people
- Target Audience: developers, startup builders, engineers, and technical creators
- Expected Technical Level: intermediate and advanced
- Languages: English and Japanese
Credits & Prizes
All participants receive:
- $250 in OpenAI API credits (valid for 12 months)
- 3 months of ChatGPT Pro with Codex access
Hackathon prizes:
- 1st Place: $25,000 in OpenAI credits
- 2nd Place: $10,000 in OpenAI credits
- 3rd Place: $5,000 in OpenAI credits
Prizes will be awarded in each track.
Featured Engineers
Tyler Ryu is a deployment engineer at OpenAI, focusing on Codex and related developer-facing AI systems. Based in Singapore, he works on bringing large language models to real-world software engineering workflows. His background blends applied machine learning and developer operations, with an emphasis on practical implementation of AI models.
Kaz Sera is a Developer Experience Engineer at OpenAI, known for shaping the interaction between developers and advanced AI tools. His work focuses on improving usability, documentation, and developer workflows for AI technologies, ensuring smooth integration and effective feedback loops between product engineering and developer communities.
Supporters
Special thanks to our supporters:
Foundry Labs K.K. is a Tokyo-based AI systems integrator and solutions provider, delivering end-to-end support for enterprises: from strategy design through implementation, deployment, and operations. They tailor AI to each client’s operational, regulatory, and security requirements, with hands-on experience across finance, government, and industry, and a track record of shipping production systems in secure and regulated environments.
OpenAI is a leading AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. Through its research, APIs, and strategic partnerships, OpenAI helps organizations accelerate innovation, automate complex workflows, and deploy advanced AI capabilities while emphasizing safety, security, and responsible development.
DEEPCORE is a Tokyo-based AI-focused incubator and venture capital firm, founded in 2017 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group, backing pre-seed to early-stage AI and deep-tech startups across sectors from healthcare to logistics. It also operates KERNEL, an AI incubation community near the University of Tokyo, where founders, engineers, and researchers connect and co-create ventures.
Organizers
Ilya Kulyatin is an entrepreneur with work and academic experience in the US, Netherlands, Singapore, UK, and Japan. He holds a BA in Economics, an MA in Finance, and an MSc in Machine Learning. He’s a 3x founder, now helping Japan grow the local AI ecosystem through a not-for-profit community, Tokyo AI (TAI), while building an AI-native system integrator and solutions provider, Foundry Labs株式会社.
About TAI
Tokyo AI (TAI) is the largest international AI community in Japan, with 5,000+ members mainly based in Tokyo: engineers, researchers, investors, product managers, and corporate innovation leaders. Through 80+ events a year and 300+ speakers spanning startups, enterprises, and academia, TAI connects the people building AI in Japan with the global ecosystem, working to transform Tokyo into a global AI hub.