Canadian Identity 2025: How AI Hackers Re-imagined Data & Took Home $2.5K

What DOES it mean to be Canadian in 2025—and can AI turn raw survey data into lived experience? 👀

Watch as the Vancouver AI Community announces its hackathon winners and hands over the giant cheque. 🇨🇦
—–

In this video, the Vancouver AI Community and the BCAI Ecosystem Industry Association present a full recap of the “Canadian Identity 2025” data storytelling hackathon, where Vancouver-based AI creators transformed raw survey data into innovative projects that explore what it truly means to be Canadian in 2025.

This hackathon was made possible through the collaboration with Rival Technologies and Angus Reid Institute, who provided a unique dataset derived from a survey of one thousand Canadians conducted in June 2025. The data captured nuanced perspectives on Canadian identity, political polarization, autonomy, heritage, and innovation across all provinces and territories.

The video opens with Chris Krug, founder of the Vancouver AI Community Meetups and BCAI Ecosystem Industry Association, setting the stage for this second round of the hackathon. He is joined by Andrew Reid from Rival Technologies, who alongside organizers Britney and Julia, helped coordinate this innovative challenge.

Honorable mentions include Swathy Rayor, who developed an open-source graphic novel style data storytelling tool that automatically generates sequential comic visuals from complex datasets. Her work builds on previous projects that push the boundaries of how AI can visualize and narrate data beyond traditional charts.

The runner-up team, Wisdom Lantern, featuring Sev Gasin and Averil AI, crafted an AI-generated video narration summarizing the survey’s findings through the voice of Broady, a First Nations Canadian. This project highlights Indigenous perspectives and reframes Canadian identity using social identity theory, illuminating paradoxes such as the balance between heritage and progress, as well as the widespread fear of political polarization despite a shared sense of community and values.

The grand prize winner, Matt Sinclair Foreman, a filmmaker and self-taught Unity developer, created an interactive Canadian Identity Simulator. Using a probabilistic character generation engine powered by the Claude AI model, Matt transformed survey data into autonomous virtual Canadian personas. Users can configure identity traits and engage in simulated dialogues that explore the complexity of Canadian identity and political discourse in a low-stakes environment.

This project not only demonstrates the creative intersection of AI, data storytelling, and game design but also exemplifies how technology can foster understanding in politically and socially complex conversations.

Throughout the event, the community explored critical questions about autonomy, inclusivity, and the evolving meaning of Canadian identity in 2025. This video captures the announcement ceremony, project demos, candid reflections from participants, and the awarding of the $2,500 grand prize and iconic Canadian prizes such as a rubber ducky and the “little Canadian bear.”

For Vancouver tech enthusiasts, AI practitioners, data storytellers, and those invested in Indigenous futurism and ethical AI development, this video is a must-watch. Subscribe to stay updated on upcoming Vancouver AI hackathons and initiatives pushing the frontier of AI and cultural storytelling.

00:00 Incoming Transmission & Intro
00:40 Why We Ran a Data-Storytelling Hackathon
02:30 The “What Does Being Canadian Mean?” Data Set
05:10 Honorable Mention – Swathy Rayor’s Comic Generator
07:25 Runner-Up – Wisdom Lantern’s AI Video w/ Indigenous Voice
10:15 Grand-Prize Reveal – Matt Sinclair Foreman
12:00 Live Demo – Canadian Identity Simulator (Unity)
15:20 Matt on Building Autonomous NPCs from Survey Data
18:05 Oversized Cheque, Prizes & Closing Hype
19:45 Group Photo & Final Thank-Yous