unlocking the british music experience museum with ai

@ British Music Experience Museum & University of Liverpool's Career Studio
Friday 4th, Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th April 2025
Hackathon

🎵+🤖 = 🤘

What if you could step inside the history of British music, not just read about it? What if you could remix the classics, uncover hidden connections between your favourite artists, or even "chat" with them?

At the hackathon, you'll have the chance to explore how AI can enable more meaningful and creative explorations, transforming how the world experiences the British Music Experience (BME) museum.

About the Hackathon

AMLab is proud to announce this UoL+BME collaboration and invites you to a unique interdisciplinary hackathon, a melting pot of creativity and technology where the vibrant history of British music meets the cutting-edge power of AI and Immersive Technologies.

This event offers students the opportunity to work directly with the BME's extensive collection, applying their unique skills to enhance visitor experiences and unlock new avenues for research and engagement. Its not just for coders 💻 but also for storytellers, designers, musicians, historians and anyone with a passion for innovation and musical heritage. This hackathon isn't just for coders it's for storytellers, designers, musicians, historians, and anyone with a passion for innovation and musical heritage 🎶

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Open to all students from the School of EEE and Computer Science, and from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Liverpool! A prize 🏆 will be awarded to the winning team and all attendees will receive HEAR

One theme, 4 challenges 🤓

The core theme of the hackathon is “AI for Knowledge Discovery and Immersive Engagement”. We aim to move beyond traditional museum experiences by leveraging AI and immersive technologies to create personalised journeys through musical history, fostering deeper engagement and understanding.

We have identified 4 key challenges. Each challenge offers a unique opportunity to make a real impact. Don't think of AI as the main goal - think of it as part of the solution!

CHALLENGE 1: Living archive

Use AI to streamline data management and connect items with external knowledge, ensuring collection accuracy.

Challenge 2: Hacking the BME

Reimagine an existent exhibition at the museum, enhancing it with AI without losing its original charm.

Challenge 3: personalised storytelling

Leverage AI to create personalised museum experiences that cater to individual tastes.

Challenge 4: Musically immersive exploration

Design and reuse games, gamification strategies and immersive technologies to explore the BME.

Programme (TBD)

Day-1 kickoff

Friday 4th April
@ British music experience museum (education room)
14:00-14:30

 Hackathon kickoff!
Participants will be welcomed at the BME museum and introduced to the hackathon.
14:30-15:30

 Exploring the BME
Students will explore the BME collection and the exhibition areas to familiarise themselves with the environment and brainstorm potential ideas for their projects.
15:30-17:00

 Group formation starts!
Meet your peers at the BME, form your group and get ready for Monday. Students will receive a pass to visit the BME over the weekend and continue exploring the collection and brainstorming ideas. Be mindful of the visitors!

Day-2 full sprint

Monday 7th April
@ University of Liverpool's Career Studio
09:00-12:00 Morning sprint session
After finalising the groups, students start refining their ideas and organise the team work for the 2-day sprint. Mentors from the University of Liverpool will provide technical support to the teams.
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-19:00

 Afternoon sprint session

Day-3 sprint, presentations and awards!

Tuesday 8th april
@ University of Liverpool's Career Studio
09:00-12:00 Morning sprint session
12:00-13:00

 Lunch!
13:00-16:30

 Afternoon sprint session
16:30-19:00

 Presentations
Groups present their AI concepts and any early demo/prototype developed during the hackathon.
19:00-20:00

 Awards and closing session
An opportunity to reflect today’s session, plan future meetings and discussion various projects submitted by the groups. Please let us know if you have any topics for discussion.

frequently asked questions (faq)

No, coding experience is not required! We welcome students from all disciplines. While coding skills can be helpful, we encourage participation from anyone with an interest in music, history, design, storytelling, or innovation. The hackathon is about generating ideas, not just writing code. However, it is important that each team has at least one member with coding and AI skills to effectively implement a prototype of their ideas.
Yes, absolutely! We encourage the use of tools like GitHub Copilot and other AI-powered coding assistants to accelerate your prototyping process. This is a hackathon, and rapid development is key. More information about responsible AI use will be provided during the event.
Groups will be formed during the event in order to maximise the complementary skills and backgrounds of the participants. We highly encourage groups composed of students from different departments! You can reach out to your friends at UoL and think about how your team might look like, or you can find teammates on the first day of the event.
The judging criteria will be announced at the start of the hackathon, but will likely include factors such as innovation, feasibility, impact, user experience, and presentation quality. (TBD)
Yes, lunch will be provided.
The recommended team size is 3-5 people. (TBD)
Yes, participants are required to bring their own laptops, chargers, and any other necessary equipment (headphones, mice, tablets, etc.) for their projects. Please ensure your laptop is capable of running any software you plan to use. Wi-Fi will be provided.
No, this is an in-person event.
Information about the available data from the British Music Experience will be provided to participants at the start of the hackathon. (TBD)

Responsible ai reuse

We encourage the responsible and ethical use of AI tools during this hackathon. Participants are permitted to use tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and other AI-powered coding assistants and generative AI tools to accelerate their prototyping process. However, it's important to remember that these tools are aids, not replacements for your own creativity and understanding.

Please ensure that any AI-generated content is properly attributed and that you understand the limitations and potential biases of the tools you use. We will be providing more information on responsible AI practices during the event. The focus should be on innovative ideas and solutions, not just on the tools used to create them.

Call for sponsors

We are seeking sponsors to help make this exciting hackathon a success! Your support will enable us to provide valuable resources, mentorship, and prizes for our student participants, fostering innovation at the intersection of AI, music, and cultural heritage.

Sponsorship packages are available at various levels, offering opportunities for brand exposure, recruitment, and engagement with cutting-edge AI projects. Contact us to learn more about how you can become a partner in this unique event.


Ready to join the hackathon? Register now via Handshake!