Hackathons are where ideas become reality quickly. They provide a safe space to explore possibilities without months of waiting for budget approvals, change requests, or procurement cycles.
With GenAI and real-time AI powered by SAS Event Stream Processing, we’ve moved beyond automation. Now, it's about understanding, deciding, and acting instantly and meaningfully. We're not just triggering workflows — we're creating real-time responses that provide explanations, guidance, and adaptation.
Here are a few ideas to get your team's creative juices flowing.
Give error codes a human voice
If you’ve ever looked at a string of system error messages and wondered what they mean, you’re not alone. Businesses and public services alike struggle with complex, cryptic alerts. GenAI can help by turning those codes into plain-language explanations and actionable steps. Imagine a system that not only tells you "Error 0x000F" but also explains that it's a database connection failure and lists the top three likely causes and fixes based on past resolutions. We can make those suggestions even smarter by using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to index semi-public and internal sources, such as manuals, knowledge base articles, and internal procedures. This allows the AI to ground its responses in real, context-specific information.
A hackathon prototype could pull error streams into ESP, classify and score probable root causes, and then allow a GenAI model to generate human-readable summaries. The result? Faster resolutions, happier users, and a clear value proposition for your idea.
Summarize alerts before they become overload
In fast-paced environments such as fraud detection, emergency response, and manufacturing, alerts can flood in by the hundreds, making it difficult to maintain oversight. GenAI can help by clustering related alerts and generating a real-time "situation report". Instead of dozens of flashing messages, you receive one clear summary, such as, "Overheating in three adjacent units; likely coolant pump failure. Consider shutdown."
A prototype could stream alerts into ESP, intelligently group them, and use GenAI to produce actionable summaries, cutting through the noise and speeding up the response process.
Make ESP a tool for LLMs to call on demand
Large language models (LLMs) are good at reasoning with information, but what if they could also trigger real-time analytics directly? Your hackathon project could treat ESP as a "mission control platform" (MCP 😉) server that exposes live analytics as callable tools for an LLM. A user might ask, "What's the likelihood this customer will churn?" The LLM would then route that request to ESP, which would run a churn-prediction model and return a probability score. The LLM then suggests the next best actions, such as offering a retention discount, upgrading a service, or triggering a follow-up call.
We've tested the internal prototype, and now it's your turn to imagine a compelling customer-facing use case at the hackathon. Could it be retail offers in milliseconds? Energy usage optimization in smart grids? Or instant triage in healthcare call centers?
Why This Matters Now
The difference between a good idea and a working prototype often comes down to momentum. In business, months can pass between the initial "What if..." and the first working demo. In a hackathon, however, that timeline shrinks to days. When you combine GenAI with real-time processing, you're not just building something impressive; you're showing decision-makers what's possible when human reasoning and machine speed come together.
Now it's your turn!
Will your hack enable engineers to interact with their error logs as if they were chatting with a colleague? Will it transform a flood of alerts into a concise message that anyone can understand and act on? Will it allow an LLM to "phone a friend" in ESP for live predictions on demand? Maybe it’s something no one’s thought of yet, and that’s exactly the point!
The hackathon is your chance to show that your idea can work. Bring your data, curiosity, and ambition, and see how far you can take it.
Because somewhere between the first sketch and the final demo, you might find the idea that changes everything.
So, what will you build? Let me know in the comments!
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