Retail Gen AI Hackathon 2026

A two-day retail AI hackathon for McGill students, taking place 15–16 October 2026 at the Samuel Bronfman Building in Montreal. The Retail Gen AI Hackathon 2026 gives McGill students the opportunity to tackle a real-life challenge for ALDO Group while exploring how artificial intelligence can improve decision-making across retail operations. Running from 9:00am on Thursday 15 October to 5:00pm on Friday 16 October, the event combines collaborative problem-solving with a fun, competitive hackathon environment. This is the fourth edition of the event, organised by the Bensadoun School of Retail Management in partnership with ALDO Group and powered by AWS and McGill’s DataSphere Lab. Rather than working through a purely theoretical exercise, participants will apply AI to a genuine retail problem and consider how their ideas could support better, data-driven operational decisions. ## What participants will explore The hackathon focuses on three complementary areas of artificial intelligence: - Generative AI, used to create new content, ideas or outputs - Predictive AI, which can help anticipate outcomes using available data - Prescriptive AI, which can support decisions by identifying potential courses of action - The practical application of these approaches within retail operations - Collaborative development of an innovative solution for ALDO Group The two-day format is designed for active participation rather than passive listening. Attendees should expect to work collaboratively under time constraints, develop ideas around the challenge and learn through the process of building a proposed AI solution. Its combination of an industry partner, a real-world use case and support from AWS and the DataSphere Lab makes the event particularly relevant to students interested in AI, data, retail innovation, management or technology-led problem-solving. ## Who can attend? Registration is exclusively for McGill students. The event page does not specify a required technical background or experience level, so prospective participants should consult the registration information for any further eligibility or preparation details.… Register for this event