Post by Women Shaping AI

What happens when 6,151 girls and young women across India are invited to build with AI? They don’t just learn the technology. They use it to solve problems they recognize from their own lives. The Better India recently spotlighted WitchHunt 2026, India’s first girls-only AI hackathon, which brought together participants from 23 states to build AI solutions across healthcare, smart cities, education, and climate action. Soource: The numbers are impressive: ⚡ 6,151 registered participants ⚡ 1,250 teams formed ⚡ 779 ideas submitted ⚡ Nearly 300 mentors involved ⚡ 373 functional proofs of concept created But the real story is what these young women chose to build. A medicine-dispensing ATM for villages where the nearest pharmacy is 20 kilometres away. A CCTV-based AI alert system that can notify hospitals and emergency responders when accidents happen. Tools to support overworked health workers, expecting mothers in high-risk pregnancies, and communities with limited access to essential services. This is what happens when AI education is not abstract. When girls are not simply told to “learn AI,” but are given the tools, mentors, and permission to apply it to the problems they understand best. One of the most powerful parts of this initiative is that it deliberately widened access. A participant from a small town had access to the same mentors, resources, and learning platform as someone from a premier technology institute. AI inclusion is not only about who gets to use the tools. It is about whose problems are treated as worthy of innovation. At Women Shaping AI, we believe women and girls everywhere should have access to the learning, confidence, and community needed to participate meaningfully in AI. Women Shaping AI is a global community where women from all walks of life come together to learn about AI, build confidence and capability, and open doors for each other. If that resonates, we’d love to have you join us: www.womenshapingai.com #womenshapingai #womeninai #girlsinstem #aileadership #responsibleai