Meta and Deloitte Ireland hosted a Llama for Good Hackathon aimed at empowering Irish NGOs to harness the power of AI for public good. The event, hosted at Meta's International HQ in Ballsbridge, brings together leading NGOs the Open Doors Initiative, Citywise Education and NOW Group to co-create innovative solutions using Meta's Llama AI model.

16 engineers from Deloitte Ireland and Meta will be working on Meta's Llama to develop workable AI prototypes designed to address real-world challenges faced by the participating NGOs, with potential AI solutions ranging from partnering mentors with mentees, to streamlining course delivery for inclusive education programs. Meta's Llama is a free, open source AI model that removes cost barriers and makes advanced technology accessible to NGOs of all sizes. By enabling organisations to build custom solutions tailored to their communities, Llama fosters local innovation and rapid problem-solving. Its efficient design allows deployment even on modest hardware, making it practical for NGOs with limited technical resources.

The Open Doors Initiative connects jobseekers with experienced professionals, offering guidance, career advice, and pathways to sustainable employment. Much of this work is currently manual, limiting scale and efficiency. Through the Hackathon, they aim to explore how AI can automate mentor-mentee matching based on industry, experience, and professional goals.

Citywise Education, which supports young people in underserved communities on their path to third-level education, is also exploring how to streamline its back-office processes and course delivery - using today's Hackathon as a first step. NOW Group supports neurodiverse people across Ireland with access to training, employment and community opportunities. Through the Hackathon, they aim to explore how AI can link currently siloed data - especially around the publicly available JAM Card - to better identify potential users and business partners and use insights to drive growth and impact.

Opened by Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, Anne O'Leary, Head of Meta Ireland, and Emmanuel Adeleke, Deloitte Ireland partner in Technology & Transformation, today's event will support NGOs in hands-on AI prototyping, and will feature dedicated AI fluency sessions designed to upskill participants and deepen their understanding of artificial intelligence. These sessions will ensure that all attendees, regardless of technical background, gain practical knowledge and confidence in applying AI tools like Llama to their missions.

Opening the event Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said: "I am delighted to take part in today's Llama for Good Hackathon, hosted by Meta and Deloitte Ireland, aimed at actively developing new ways that AI can help NGOs deliver better services to the people and communities they support. Open-source technologies have strong potential to drive long-term innovation, economic growth and competition across our society. Ireland, as a key European digital leader, is building a future where AI is transformative and trusted. Today's event reflects the potential of this technology to create real world impact and positive change".

Speaking at the event Anne O'Leary, Head of Meta Ireland, said: "Meta's Llama is a game-changer for NGOs. As an open source and free-to-use AI, Llama removes financial barriers and empowers organisations to innovate locally, building solutions tailored to their communities and missions. Our Llama models have been downloaded over 1.2 billion times, with real-world projects already making a difference - a massive endorsement of the potential for Meta's AI to drive innovation, economic growth, and competition. I'm very proud to see dynamic Irish NGOs like the Open Doors Initiative, Citywise Education and NowGroup benefit from Llama and wider industry expertise at today's Llama for Good Hackathon, and I look forward to seeing how the ideas...