The Build with Gemma 2026 – GDG on Campus UCB workshop marks the beginning of our official preparation series for the Build with Gemma Hackathon. This session is designed to introduce participants to Google's open Gemma models and provide the essential knowledge required to build practical AI applications that address real-world challenges.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we learn, work, communicate, and solve problems. Through this workshop, participants will discover how Gemma can be used to develop innovative solutions in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, accessibility, productivity, and community development. Whether you are a student, developer, researcher, or simply curious about AI, this session will help you understand how to start building with one of Google's most capable open models.

The workshop will provide an overview of the Gemma ecosystem, demonstrate how to access and use the models, and introduce the fundamental concepts needed to create AI-powered applications. Participants will also learn about best practices for prompting, available development tools, and the overall structure of the upcoming hackathon.

This session is part of the official preparation for the Build with Gemma Hackathon, where participants will have the opportunity to transform their ideas into impactful AI solutions and compete by building projects using Gemma. During the workshop, we will also present the hackathon objectives, participation process, evaluation criteria, available resources, and recommendations to help teams prepare successful projects.

No previous experience with Gemma is required. Anyone with an interest in artificial intelligence and software development is encouraged to participate. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops to follow the demonstrations and prepare their development environment.

A second technical workshop will follow this session, focusing on more advanced topics including building complete AI applications, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents, multimodal capabilities, deployment strategies, and practical guidance for developing competitive hackathon projects.

Join us as we begin this exciting journey of learning, innovation, and collaboration. Whether your goal is to explore open AI models, develop new technical skills, or build solutions that create meaningful local impact, this workshop is the perfect place to start. We look forward to welcoming you to the Build with Gemma community and preparing together for an inspiring hackathon experience.