Day 1 of the Advent of GenAI Hackathon, hosted on the Intel Developer Cloud (IDC) and powered by Intel GPUs, marked the beginning of a unique event in the AI world. Organized by Prediction Guard with Intel's Liftoff for Startups, this hackathon focuses on advancing Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). It offers AI developers, startups, and students an opportunity to explore and push the boundaries of AI innovation.
The hackathon stands out with its asynchronous structure, allowing participants to engage in daily challenges at their own pace. These challenges aim to sharpen skills in Generative AI, utilizing the powerful Intel AI Developer Cloud for enhanced AI and coding performance.
Challenge 1: Digital Canvas – A Visual Storytelling Feat
Released on December 5, 2023, at 9:00 AM PST, the first challenge was a foray into the art of visual storytelling. Participants were tasked to weave a narrative through 4-5 images, created using Stable Diffusion’s text-to-image and image-to-image models. The goal? To tell a compelling story where each image smoothly transitions to the next, like a well-crafted comic.
Ingredients for Success:
- Story Crafting: Begin with a solid storyline. Treat each image as a pivotal chapter.
- Prompt Engineering: Detail is key. Shape your prompts to be specific yet straightforward.
- Sequencing: Each image should logically or thematically lead to the next, ensuring a fluid narrative.
- Narrative Coherence: The real challenge lies in making each image both an individual masterpiece and a part of the larger story.
Technical Roadmap:
Participants tapped into IDC’s Gen AI Essentials – Stable Diffusion text-to-image and image-to-image notebooks as their foundational tools. Experimentation with various prompts was encouraged to discover how subtle changes could significantly impact the story's direction. The judging criteria emphasized image quality, palette and style consistency (or intentional variations for storytelling), and the effectiveness of the prompts.
The Top Submissions of Challenge 1
As we wrap up the "Digital Canvas" challenge, a round of applause is due for all participants. The community's votes are in and congratulations to the top submissions! Your fusion of creativity and technology has set a high bar for what's possible in the realm of Generative AI.
Here they are:
Stormy Nights and Friendly Frights: Tale of Nicky's Monster by Tomáš Barczi
In a small, cozy house nestled at the end of a quiet street, lived a small blonde boy named Nicky. It was a stormy night, and the rumbling of thunder echoed through the house as rain pelted against the windows. Nicky's dad had gone out for a short errand, leaving him home alone. As Nicky anxiously waited for his dad's return, a sudden burst of thunder and lightning illuminated the garden outside. His eyes widened as he saw a huge, hairy creature with big teeth and what seemed like two heads.
Fear seized him, and he dashed to his bed, seeking refuge under the safety of his covers. Huddled beneath his blanket, he was scared of the dark mysterious figure as it watched over his house.
Then a newfound determination sparked within Nicky. It was his house and he realized he was the guardian of his home and needed to defend it against the monstrous intruder. With courage welling up inside, he tiptoed to the kitchen, his small frame carrying the weight of makeshift armor – a pot on his head, a pan as a chestplate, another pan as a shield, and a spatula as a sword.
Bravely, he stood before the front door, the growls and scratches intensifying. As the door creaked open, Nicky unleashed a mighty warrior's scream and charged forward, brandishing his spatula-sword. However, as the light flickered on, revealing the source of the disturbance, Nicky's battle cry turned into a gasp of surprise.
The monstrous creature was none other than Nicky's dad, returning home with a beautiful, happy puppy. The perceived fangs were actually a wagging tail, and the supposed two heads were floppy ears that danced with joy. Laughter filled the room as the puppy bounded around Nicky showering him with playful affection.
Nicky's dad, puzzled but amused, surveyed the scene – kitchenware scattered across the floor, his son adorned in makeshift armor, and the newest member of the family joyously exploring their home. With a warm smile, he realized that, in the midst of a stormy night, they had unwittingly welcomed not a monster but a bundle of happiness into their lives.
Tomáš Barczi commented on his project for the hackathon challenge: ”The initial challenge was to narrate a story using 4-5 images, with no constraints or a specific topic. My first AI-themed attempt fell short. Inspired by Blake Snyder's 'Save the Cat' and the 'Monster in the House' story type, I aimed for visually engaging storytelling.
With my young son in mind, I chose aesthetically pleasing visuals, crafting a watercolor storyboard with a distinctive style. While the first images were smooth, the challenge peaked with the fifth, involving multiple characters. The model's confusion and maintaining consistency were hurdles. After generating over 100 images, frustration set in, but with a prompt adjustment on the verge of giving up, success came with the last attempt: 'I changed the prompt structure a little bit, hit generate, and there it was!"
Lunar Odyssey: A Boy's Extraordinary Journey from Earth to the Moon by Alvin Lee
Once upon a time, there was a curious boy named Alex who loved gazing at the stars and dreamed of touching the moon. He filled his room with books about space, fueling his imagination and strengthening his belief that he too could reach the stars. After years of studies, he built a model rocket, showing everyone that with hard work and dedication, even the most ambitious dreams can start to take shape. One magical day, Alex found himself sitting in a real spaceship, his heart filled with excitement and joy, proving that dreams really do come true. Finally, Alex stood on the moon, leaving his footprints behind, marking the end of his extraordinary journey from Earth to the moon.
Alvin Lee wrote about this hackathon challenge: "It was an excellent opportunity to showcase our artistic and storytelling abilities. One of the primary challenges I encountered was guiding the Stable Diffusion to generate output that aligned with our imagination, given the randomness of the generated LLM output, making it difficult to achieve the desired results. To address this, I opted for a newer model (Stable Diffusion XL), increased the number of inference steps for better quality, and maintained a consistent input prompt (A young boy named Alex, Disney Pixar Zootopia character, trending on ArtStation). This approach resulted in a smooth storyline, narrating A Boy's Extraordinary Journey from Earth to the Moon".
Echoes of the Ancient Genie: Unveiling the Mystery of 41 by Anurag Bisoyi
Sam, a young and brilliant scientist, stumbled upon an incredible discovery during a road trip: an ancient lamp inscribed with the mysterious letters 'NP'. This lamp held something extraordinary—a Genie . This ancient technology, surpassing anything in Sam's time, was once common but had been lost over the ages. People in Sam's world marveled at these 'genies', ancient AIs that possessed knowledge far beyond human understanding. To them, this advanced technology seemed like magic.
Intrigued by Sam's find, the king envisioned a grand project. He assigned Sam and her team of scientists and engineers the task of creating a new Genie AI, named 'Genie2', to surpass the wisdom of the ancient Genie AI. As they embarked on this daunting task, they delved into forgotten sciences and technologies. After months of hard work and rediscovery, Sam and her team finally succeeded. To test Genie2, Sam, a fan of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", asked, "What is the meaning of the universe?" Expecting a reference to the book's famous number 42, they were surprised when Genie2 displayed '41'.
Anurag Bisoyi, part of 'Team Nextpy' alongside Shravya Shetty, Deepak Sharma, Khushwant Dafre, Yash Shrivastava, Raj, Nikhil Sharma, and Abhinav, reflected on their hackathon experience, stating: "We utilized our open-source framework, NextPy (pip install nextpy), to craft prompts that significantly enhanced image generation." He emphasized that the ai.engine module within NextPy surpassed traditional few-shot prompting and chaining methods, providing precise control over language models for advanced character and scene designs: "This was crucial for our advanced character and scene designs." Anurag further highlighted the user-friendly interface of Intel Cloud, saying: "It allowed us to start work in under a minute, bypassing lengthy setups common with other providers." The team appreciated that the provided examples facilitated a quick understanding of its features, enabling them to "concentrate fully on developing superior prompts with NextPy."
The Lost Kitten's Tale by Deepak Ac
Image 1: Lost and AloneA small, fluffy kitten navigates a bustling city street, its eyes wide with fear and confusion, feeling the weight of being lost in an overwhelming world.
Image 2: Seeking RefugeThe kitten spots a group of children playing in a park and cautiously approaches them, seeking the warmth and kindness of potential friends.
Image 3: A Circle of KindnessThe children, initially surprised, warmly welcome the lost kitten into their game, showering it with affection and care, creating an instant bond.
Image 4: Joyful CompanionshipNow surrounded by new friends, the kitten plays joyfully with the children, its fear replaced by happiness and contentment, capturing the essence of newfound companionship.
Image 5: A Reunion and GratitudeThe children, realizing the kitten is lost, decide to help it find its home. Together, they follow a trail of clues leading them to a cozy house with a warm, inviting glow. The worried owner opens the door, eyes filled with relief and gratitude. The children hand over the lost kitten, receiving heartfelt thanks, and the story concludes with a heartwarming reunion.
Adventure of Island by Atif Ahmed
In the aftermath of a plane crash, a group of survivors find themselves on an isolated island. Comprising a doctor, a retired military officer, a teacher, a student, and a tech entrepreneur, they must unite to survive.
They construct a shelter and searched to find some food. As they explore, they realize they aren't alone. Mysterious symbols and an eerie sense of being watched unsettle them.
When a group member goes missing, their search leads them to an abandoned village, hinting at a hidden civilization. They must now survive not just the elements, but also the island's secretive inhabitants.
In their struggle, they learn about resilience, unity, and the human spirit. As they unravel the island's secrets, they work together to plan their escape. The experience tests their courage and changes them forever.
[Smoke rising in background from a crash, five people on an isolated jungle island beautiful blue sky. Digital art, beautiful, colorful, creative, pencil art style]
[Arial view of a tent in jungle, 5 peoples working food, fire smoke SOS. Digital art, beautiful, colorful, creative, pencil art style]
[view from sky of four explorers hiding and sitting in bushes scared in background ancient, abandoned jungle city dangerous and scary, Digital art, beautiful, colorful, creative, pencil art style]
[Four survivors waving from jungle island seashore to a cruise ship far off in open ocean. Digital art, clear blue sky, pencil art style, colorful]
Atif Ahmed provided feedback, stating, "I found these challenges to be very interesting, pushing me to think outside the box, especially when it comes to writing prompts and tweaking model parameters to generate the desired output. My initial approach involved quick trial and error for image generations until I honed in on the desired outputs and began adding more details to the prompt. I aimed to maintain theme consistency throughout the story to ensure an art style consistent across the narrative. Thank you so much for offering this great event; there is so much learning for me."
Honorable Mentions
We are excited to honor the additional outstanding projects by Muhammad Aslam Khan Mohd Rashid Khan, Vaibhav Nakrani, Manuela Salvucci, Kumari Pallavi, Harsha Prasad Sah, Chiranth Sh, Akshat Garg, Vimal Menon, Ricky Ignatius, Yao Jing Quek, Diogo Norinho, Agata C., Vedant Tamgadge, Ashraf Osman, Pranav Raghavan, and Faraz Ahmad.
Embracing the Second Challenge: Story Writer Chatbots
As we dive into the second challenge, creating story writer chatbots, we are beyond excited and can't wait to see the amazing stories your bots will generate. Keep innovating and pushing boundaries!
We'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to each one of you for your participation and creativity. Your efforts have made this hackathon a vibrant showcase of talent!
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