Hacktoberfest Hack Day Gulf Breeze x The AI Collective
Hacktoberfest 2026
3000 Gulf Breeze Pkwy Gulf Breeze, FL 32563 United States
Event Description
Pensacola's chapter of the AI Collective hosts Hacktoberfest! The AI Collective (https://www.aicollective.com/chapters/pensacola) is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. Simply put, we believe technology should benefit humans, and the people closest to the problems should have a say in the solution.
Dive into a high-energy day where local citizens will solve local problems, leveraging the power of AI. From initial idea to final pitch, we will work together with expert mentors to create something tangible.
We will have two tracks:
Technical – Building with open weight models, open source agents, and more. Open innovation should be prioritized alongside proprietary tools for an ecosystem to remain healthy and resilient.
Non-Technical – Do want to get started using AI for more than search, but don’t know what to trust or how to grow? Are you using AI and want your own personal assistant? This track will start with how to begin and expand use of AI and end with a personal setup that you can trust and grow from.
For the first time, the workforce has the skill to adopt an industrial revolution, rather than be replaced by it. Come join us and apply our skills to change our community.
"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going. ~Irwin Corey"
#Hacktoberfest #Pensacolaai
Who can attend?
Locations have different requirements for who can attend. This location is open to the following:
Schedule
Hacktoberfest Event Schedule: AI Collective Pensacola
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Kickoff & Welcome
- Opening Remarks: Introduction to The AI Collective mission—building the human layer for the AI era and empowering local problem solvers.
- Track Overview: Explanation of the Technical Track (open-weight models, open-source agents) and Non-Technical Track (trusted personal assistants, practical workflows).
- Housekeeping & Objectives: Event flow, mentor introductions, and output expectations.
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM: Brainstorming & Team Formation
- Pitching Ideas: Open floor for attendees to share local community or organizational problems.
- Team Formation: Attendees form small groups around shared ideas or choose mentor-led focus tables.
- Scope Definition: Narrowing project scopes to buildable, tangible solutions achievable in under 4 hours.
11:15 AM – 12:30 PM: Build Sprint 1
- Technical Track: Environment setup, selecting open-weight model backends/APIs, initial scaffolding for agents and tools.
- Non-Technical Track: Guided workshop on foundational prompts, privacy and data boundary configurations, and personal assistant tool setup.
- Active Mentorship: Mentors circulate to resolve setup blockers and refine solution architectures.
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM: Lunch Break & Mentor Check-ins
- Break for lunch and informal networking.
- Mentors check in with each team to review mid-day progress and help unblock technical or structural roadblocks.
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM: Build Sprint 2 & Demo Prep
- Finalizing Solutions: Completing working codebases, UI/agent connections, or structured workflow outputs.
- Testing & Tuning: Running test cases to ensure reliability and trust in outputs.
- Pitch Prep: Crafting a 2-minute live demo (no lengthy slide decks; focus on showing the running tool or workflow).
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM: Demos & Judging
- Lightning Presentations: Fast-paced demos from each group across both tracks.
- Live Review: Feedback and scoring based on practical local utility, execution, and human-first alignment.
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: "AHA" Moments, Learnings & Closing
- Discovery Circle: Open sharing session focused on key breakthroughs, surprising model behaviors, and personal learning moments.
- Next Steps: Sustaining momentum through the local AI Collective chapter and resources for continuing project development.
- Wrap-up: Thanking mentors, participants, and closing remarks.
Additional Information
Links & Resources
Agent Skills Explained: What They Are, What They Aren't, and How to Use Them
Overview of the Agent Skill Open Standard and SKILL.md authoring.
Open link →A Developer's Guide to Open-Weight LLM API Integration
Guide to deploying and integrating large open-weight LLMs.
Open link →How to Run Google's Gemma 4 Locally with Ollama
Local setup and edge execution for models under 10B parameters.
Open link →Hermes Agent: A Practical Guide
Setting up and orchestrating workflows using open-source agent harnesses.
Open link →Hosted by
The AI Collective
From humble beginnings as an intimate gathering in a San Francisco apartment, The AI Collective has grown into a vibrant global community uniting leaders, builders, and stakeholders in AI. We believe AI should be beneficial to humans. That local communities should have a say in how AI is implemented in their region. Founded on the belief that meaningful connections emerge through shared curiosity, we center every event on intentional, intimate group discussion that fosters deep understanding and lasting relationships.