Overview

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, sought to leverage Generative AI to modernize knowledge management, drive innovation, and improve efficiency across the organization. In partnership with New Native and utilizing OpenAI technologies, IFC hosted the “KNOWvember 2024” AI Hackathon — successfully developing and deploying 12 internal AI solutions within just 30 days.

Challenge

IFC had several strategic goals:

• Simplify complex informational content into user-friendly formats

• Improve relevance and accessibility of internal knowledge repositories

• Increase staff engagement through interactive and gamified knowledge-sharing solutions

• Rapidly equip teams, both technical and non-technical, with practical AI skills and experience

Approach

Preparation Phase

IFC organized foundational workshops to introduce participants to key AI concepts, provided extensive resources and materials, and outlined clear idea pathways for collaboration.

Hackathon Execution

Over an eight-day period, 60+ IFC team members from diverse functions engaged in structured prototyping sessions. New Native’s expert facilitators supported teams to accelerate practical applications of Generative AI technologies.

Technology Infrastructure

The hackathon leveraged Azure cloud infrastructure integrated with OpenAI-native tools, providing a secure and scalable environment for AI application development.

Outcomes

• Rapid Innovation: 12 distinct AI solutions were developed and deployed in under a month

• Team Empowerment: Over 60 staff received hands-on training and real AI project experience

• Impactful Solutions: Automated summarizers, interactive dashboards, smart repositories, and gamified learning modules

• Organizational Buy-In: Senior leadership, including IFC’s CIO, actively guided and adopted outcomes

Results

The KNOWvember AI Hackathon delivered measurable value:

• Enhanced internal knowledge management

• Increased operational efficiency

• Demonstrated practical AI value for non-technical staff

• Created a repeatable, scalable innovation framework for future AI initiatives

Client Testimonial

“Our colleagues are very active in AI adoption, so we expected this hackathon to bring new insights, skills, and possibilities — and it certainly delivered. Grateful to the entire IFC team and our partners at lablab.ai for making it happen.”

— Laura McCanlies, CIO, IFC

Future Outlook

Building on this success, IFC plans continued collaboration with lablab.ai to expand AI deployments across more functions and scale internal innovation events in the future.

Project Details

• Technology Used: Azure, OpenAI

• Partner: lablab.ai

• Duration: November 2024 (30 days)

• Engagement Model: Hybrid (Online + Onsite)