IIT Delhi, I4C and Amazon launch AI hackathon to develop solutions against deepfakes and cyber fraud

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in collaboration with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and Amazon, has launched Raksham, a national-level AI cybersecurity hackathon aimed at developing technology-based responses to emerging digital threats.

The hackathon is being organised by IIT Delhi's student technical clubs, Aries IITD and Dev Club. It will bring together engineering students from across the country to develop AI-powered prototypes addressing cyber threats including voice-cloning scams, deepfakes and online fraud.

Who can participate

The competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students. Participants can form teams of two to four members.

Registration and concept submissions are currently open, with Oct 12 set as the deadline for submissions.

The organisers are looking for solutions that can move beyond demonstrations and potentially be developed into practical cybersecurity tools. Entries will be assessed on factors including technical architecture, feasibility in real-world settings and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

Focus on emerging cyber threats

The hackathon comes at a time when AI-generated and manipulated content is creating new challenges for online safety. Deepfakes and cloned voices can be used to impersonate individuals, while increasingly sophisticated online scams can exploit users through social engineering and other forms of digital fraud.

The government has also identified AI-generated deepfakes as an emerging cybersecurity and information-integrity challenge. In July, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the government was strengthening measures covering AI-generated unlawful content, platform accountability and grievance redressal.

Through Raksham, participants will be expected to work on solutions that can address such threats while taking into account issues such as responsible AI use and practical deployment.

Emphasis on solutions that can scale

IIT Delhi said the evaluation will consider whether proposed technologies can ultimately become tools capable of protecting large numbers of users from evolving cyber scams and fraud. This places the emphasis not only on developing an AI model or prototype but also on its potential real-world application.

The initiative adds to IIT Delhi's recent focus on strengthening research and student engagement in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. In August, the institute launched a Technology Hub on AI and Cybersecurity with Cisco, with the collaboration focused on research, skills development and solutions for emerging digital threats.

For students, Raksham provides an opportunity to work on cybersecurity problems involving AI while developing prototypes with potential applications in digital safety and fraud prevention.