Tufts AI Safety x Tech@Fletcher
AI Policy Hackathon
February 7-8th, 2026
Eaton Hall, Tufts University
What is a Policy Hackathon?
The Tufts AI Safety x Tech@Fletcher Policy Hackathon allows participants to work in teams to develop creative policy solutions to problems posed by AI governance challenges. Participants -- whether undergraduate, graduate, or law students; more policy or tech-oriented -- will gain hands-on experience by writing policy briefs informed by technological expertise that address serious AI risks.
This is a weekend-long event focused on producing actionable policy recommendations. Teams of 4-5 people will collaborate to write a 3-5 page policy proposal based on their selected track.
Background articles, reading materials, and other resources will be provided for both tracks to ensure all teams have the necessary context to succeed.
Why Participate?
Policy hackathons offer a unique opportunity for participants to not only build the specialized knowledge and career capital to succeed in AI governance but to also craft meaningful policy proposals. Through feedback from our expert judges and network, your work can serve as a tangible first step toward real-world adoption and agenda setting. Additionally, winning submissions will be published on our website for reference.
For Technical Students
As AI capabilities advance, the governance landscape remains sparsely populated by those with deep technical understanding. Your background places you in a unique position to identify specific failure modes and technical constraints that other policymakers might miss.
For Policy Students
Effective AI policy is not designed in a vacuum. By collaborating with technical experts, you will gain crucial intuition for how these systems actually work, allowing you to craft regulations that are both technically grounded and politically resilient.
Tracks
International AI Bodies and Treaties
Background: The development of frontier AI presents a distinct collective action problem, where competitive pressures may incentivize states and/or firms to prioritize rapid capability gains over safety protocols. Because the risks of AI are global in scale, the current lack of international coordination means there is a high probability that AI development will shift to jurisdictions with the lowest safety barriers, effectively nullifying strict domestic policies and continuing an AI capabilities "arms race". Without a coherent international framework, the global community faces the risk of a race to the bottom, where the externalities of unsafe AI deployment cannot be contained by any single nation.
Task: Create an international governance body or treaty for AI that survives the challenges of treaty verification and the realities of great power politics, sovereignty, and the international stage as a whole. Produce a policy brief justifying this proposal through clear and feasible enforcement mechanisms, historical precedent, and reference to existing international AI governance frameworks.
More information, including resources and submission guidelines, to be announced as the hackathon nears!
Prizes & Judges
Prizes: $3,000 total prize pool!
- 1st Place (each track): $1,000
- 2nd Place (each track): $500
Judges & Speakers: To be announced.
Registration
Our applications to register are not yet open.
Want to stay up-to-date? Pre-register on Luma:
Pre-register Here!
Tentative Schedule
Saturday, February 7th
- 9:00 AM Registration + Breakfast
- 10:00 AM Opening Ceremony
- 10:30 AM Keynote Speaker
- 11:00 AM Prompt Introduction
- 11:30 AM Lunch + Team Finalization
- 12:30 PM Workshop/Speaker Event 1
- 1:00 PM Dedicated Work Time Slot 1
- 3:00 PM Workshop/Speaker Event 2
- 4:00 PM Dedicated Work Time Slot 2
- 6:00 PM Dinner
- 8:00 PM End of Day 1*
Sunday, February 8th
- 8:00 AM Submissions Due
- 8:00 AM Breakfast + Networking
- 9:30 AM Finalists Prepared
- 10:00 AM Finalists Present
- 11:00 AM Closing Ceremony + Lunch
- 12:00 PM Event Ends
Final schedule to be announced as the hackathon approaches. Assume it will not deviate significantly from the current schedule.
* Participants are welcome to stay at Eaton Hall to continue working after dinner.