CJ OliveNetworks hosts AI tech challenge for healthy eating
Summary
CJ OliveNetworks hosted Girls Can Do IT 2026 in Seoul on Thursday, turning it into an AI hackathon for 30 middle school girls. The participants used data analysis and generative AI to create healthy-eating solutions and actual dishes. The program was run with the CJ Foundation and tied to the CJ-UNESCO girls’ education campaign. CJ OliveNetworks said it will keep expanding AI and software education for young people.
Key Facts
- The main hackathon was held on Aug. 22 at the CJ Human Resources Development Center in Pildong, central Seoul.
- Students came from nine community youth centers in the greater Seoul area and are members of the CJ Donors Camp mentoring network.
- CJ OliveNetworks has run CJ AX Creative Camp, an employee-driven AI and software education program, since 2015.
- This year’s curriculum added nutrition and healthy eating, using themes linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on improved nutrition and healthy lives.
- Before the event, students studied nutritional imbalances, essential nutrients for adolescent growth, AI literacy, prompt writing, and data analysis and visualization.
A CJ Olivenetworks employee helps a middle school student use generative AI during the company's "Girls Can Do IT 2026" event. Courtesy of CJ Olivenetworks
CJ OliveNetworks, the IT services affiliate of CJ Group, said it hosted "Girls Can Do IT 2026" Thursday. The event was an intensive AI hackathon where 30 middle school girls collaborated under tight deadlines to turn data analysis and generative AI into real-world healthy eating solutions and actual dishes.
The program, run in partnership with the CJ Foundation, the group's philanthropic arm, brought together students from nine community youth centers in the greater Seoul area that are members of the foundation's CJ Donors Camp mentoring network.
CJ Olivenetworks has operated "CJ AX Creative Camp," an employee-driven AI and software education program aimed at narrowing the digital education gap, since 2015. Girls Can Do IT, now in its sixth year, is run in connection with the CJ-UNESCO girls' education campaign and is designed to build students' understanding of AI and support their exploration of digital career paths.
This year's edition introduced a new curriculum centered on nutrition and healthy eating, incorporating themes from the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals related to improved nutrition and healthy lives.
The company said it designed the program so students would move beyond simply learning about nutrition by using food-industry data and AI to solve everyday problems.
Ahead of the main event, students took part in preparatory sessions covering nutritional imbalances, essential nutrients for adolescent growth, how AI works, AI literacy, prompt writing, and data analysis and visualization.
At the main hackathon, held Aug. 22 at the CJ Human Resources Development Center in Pildong, central Seoul, students paired with CJ Olivenetworks employee mentors to analyze nutritional data by ingredient and use generative AI to develop recipes. Afterwards, they cooked the dishes themselves and presented their data analysis, methods and expected outcomes.
Dishes on display were inspired by health concerns among people close to the students, such as a calcium-deficient great-aunt and a friend with diabetes.
A judge and master chef at CJ CheilJedang, the group's food and bio affiliate, said meeting students who used AI and data to create creative, sustainable dishes was meaningful, and expressed hope the hackathon would help them pursue their dreams.
CJ Olivenetworks said it plans to keep expanding its AI and software education programs for young people to help close the digital education gap and cultivate future talent.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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