TheArtificialFuture.
Over three weeks in Lagos, we are bringing together curious people, working builders, and everyone in between — for a hackathon, workshops, and a conference all answering the same question: what does AI look like when Africans are the ones building it?
A programme built to put young Africans at the centre of AI.
Not as observers, but as builders.
There are a lot of young Africans paying close attention to AI right now. Some are curious, many are ambitious, and a lot of people are already trying to figure out where they fit. However, there are not nearly enough spaces built to actually empower them.
The Artificial Future is trying to be a space that empowers these people. If this resonates, join us.
Over several weeks, you will take part in workshops that build real skills, collaborate with others in a live hackathon, and join a conference where Africa's most ambitious thinkers share what they are seeing and building. Active participation involves learning, building, and exposure. All of it is connected.
Open to everyone.
Students, developers, founders, researchers, and anyone genuinely curious about AI. You do not need to arrive as an expert. You just need to show up and try. If you are curious but not sure where to start, you belong here. And if you are already building, you belong here too. We've found that when you put curious, hungry people in the same room, interesting things tend to happen.
Three distinct experiences.
One connected programme.
The Workshops
Practical sessions led by people building at the forefront of AI. Expand your view of what is possible — whether you are in the hackathon or just here to learn.
See Schedule →The Hackathon
A full week to build something that did not exist before. Pick a challenge, build a team, and work on it with mentors you can actually talk to.
View Tracks →The Conference
A full day of talks, panels, and conversations with leading voices in AI from across Africa and beyond. Open to anyone — no hackathon participation required.
Get Tickets →Problem areas,
not prescriptive
briefs.
Helping to make money reach more people.
Fintech in Africa is not a solved problem. There are still processes that need to be optimised for scale, people without bank accounts, informal traders outside financial infrastructure, and legacy institutions sitting on data AI could help unlock.
AI that actually speaks the way Nigerians speak.
Most AI tools were not built with Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, or Pidgin in mind. Build something genuinely useful to people in their own language.
Learning in a country where learning is hard.
Inconsistent connectivity. Overstretched teachers. Learners who need to work while they study. Build tools designed around real Nigerian constraints.
Healthcare that works around Nigerian infrastructure.
Hospitals that cannot always be relied on. Supply chains under pressure. Communities where care does not reach. Build around weak infrastructure — not despite it.
A format that gives you
time to build something real.
Designed across two full weekends so you can go through the motions like real builders.
Opening Ceremony + Team Formation + Workshop
Kick off at an amazing location, meet your team, and learn a few things together
Build Sprint + Workshops
Focused building time with expert-led sessions to accelerate your prototype
Deep Build + Mentor Office Hours
Heads-down building with structured mentorship. In-person collaboration sessions around Lagos.
Deep Build + More Workshops
More time building and learning together before the final sprint
Final Sprint + Submissions + Closing Ceremony
Polish, prepare, and submit. We'll say goodbye until the conference.
These workshops will expand your ambition.
Feel free to leave with it.
Led by people living day-to-day as AI builders. Most are online. A few are in-person. All are free.
Workshop schedule coming soon
Full schedule published closer to the event. Register to be notified when it drops.
A day that actually matters.
The Artificial Future Conference is a standalone day of talks, panels, and conversations about the state and future of AI in Africa and globally. Curated to be genuinely useful — not just inspirational.
We will also be showcasing the most ambitious Hackathon projects. The best teams present in front of a live audience, and we will award prizes and crown a winner on the day.
Open to anyone. You do not need to have participated in the hackathon to attend. Tickets are paid and capacity is limited.
Get Your Conference Ticket →Conference Details
June 13, 2026
Venue
The Civic Centre, Lagos Island, Nigeria
Main Stage
Keynotes from leading voices in African AI
Breakout Sessions
Workshops, roundtables, and panels
Demo Day
Top hackathon teams pitch live — YC-style
Networking
Dedicated breaks and closing reception
We are putting together
an exceptional group of people.
Announcements coming soon.
We are recruiting practitioners, researchers, and builders who are actually changing what it means to build AI for Africans. Follow us to hear first.
Follow us for updates →Three ways to get involved.
Find the path that fits you — we hope one does, no matter who you are.
Hackathon + Workshops
- 01Register using the form on this page
- 02Receive confirmation with everything you need
- 03Form or join a team, sign up for workshops, book mentors
- 04Show up May 30 with your laptop and curiosity
Workshops Only
- 01Register using the same form
- 02Select Workshops only when prompted
- 03Receive schedule and sign-up links by email
- 04In-person sessions have limited capacity — sign up early
Conference Only
- 01Purchase a conference ticket via the ticketing page
- 02Your ticket covers the full conference day on June 13
- 03No separate hackathon registration needed
- 04Show up at The Civic Centre, Lagos Island
If you want to be here and you are willing to learn — you are in.
We are not trying to find the people who are already good at this. Students, developers, founders, researchers. Experts and total beginners. Some of the best things get built by people who had no idea what they were capable of on day one.
You do not need a team to register.
Register solo and we will help you find teammates during the opening session. Teams are between 2 and 4 people. The hackathon and workshops can be joined remotely from anywhere in the world.
Everything you need to know.
The organisations making
The Artificial Future possible.
We are grateful to the partners who believe in what we are building. More announcements coming soon.
Interested in partnering with The Artificial Future?
Capital, technology, utility, and people partnerships available.