Meta and Deloitte host Llama for Good Hackathon in Dublin to help Irish NGOs use AI for social impact, innovation and inclusive community solutions.
Meta and Deloitte Ireland have teamed up to run an AI-focused hackathon in Dublin aimed at helping Irish non-profits harness artificial intelligence for social impact.
The event, held at Meta’s international headquarters in Ballsbridge, brought together three leading NGOs – Open Doors Initiative, Citywise Education and NOW Group – for a day of hands-on prototyping and AI training.
Sixteen engineers from Meta and Deloitte worked with participants to develop practical solutions using Meta’s Llama, an open-source AI model designed to lower cost barriers and enable organisations to build tailored tools. Potential applications include automating mentor–mentee matching, streamlining education programme delivery and linking siloed data to improve services for neurodiverse communities.
Driving innovation
Peter Burke, TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, opened the event, describing it as “a strong example of how open-source technologies can drive innovation and positive change.” He added: “Ireland is building a future where AI is transformative and trusted.”
Anne O’Leary, Head of Meta Ireland, said Llama’s accessibility is key to its impact.
“Our Llama models have been downloaded over 1.2 billion times, with real-world projects already making a difference,” she noted. “I’m proud to see Irish NGOs benefit from this technology and the expertise shared today.”
Deloitte Ireland partner Emmanuel Adeleke highlighted the importance of AI literacy. “AI fluency is a vital skill for everyone,” he said. “This hackathon reflects our commitment to using technology for good and supporting non-commercial use cases where benefits are shared.”
The event included dedicated sessions to build confidence in applying AI tools, ensuring participants could take practical knowledge back to their organisations. For NGOs with limited technical resources, Llama’s ability to run on modest hardware was presented as a significant advantage.
Top image: Emmanuel Adeleke, Deloitte Ireland partner in Technology and Transformation, Anne O’Leary, Head of Meta Ireland, Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Kim D’Arcy, Head of Services, Now Group at Meta. Photo: Conor McCabe Photography
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