Zebra Technologies has announced its inaugural AI Developer Challenge to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) innovation to help solve new and complex business issues for Zebra’s customers. The challenge is open to new and existing independent software vendor (ISV) partners in the Zebra PartnerConnect programme.
“Developers, in collaboration with engineers and data scientists, are building some of the most important advances in AI today, and business leaders across industries are looking for AI tools to help improve operations, optimise their workforce, drive revenue and elevate the customer experience,” says Stuart Hubbard, senior director: AI and advanced development at Zebra Technologies. “This challenge is yet another step we’re taking to innovate with forward thinkers around this transformative technology.”
Stack Overflow’s 2023 Developer Survey of over 90 000 developers found that 70% of all respondents were already using or planned to use AI tools in their development processes, while 77% of all respondents were favourable or very favourable toward AI tools for development. Increased productivity and efficiency, writing code, documenting code and debugging were cited as some of the top benefits of using AI tools.
During the challenge, ISV developers will be granted access to Zebra’s AI enablers and essential resources like software development kits (SDKs), private community forums, sessions with Zebra engineers and developers and more. Technical support from Zebra will be available for participants throughout the challenge.
Developers will be asked to create a functioning vision application that includes at least one Zebra-provided AI model and SDKs which can be combined with other technologies and AI application tools such as those from Google’s ML Kit, MediaPipe and Qualcomm’s AI Hub. The application must work on a Zebra mobile handheld device equipped with the Qualcomm 6490 chipset and may include other third-party SDKs.
Registration is now open to PartnerConnect ISVs and will close on 13 September 2024. Full details can be viewed on the dedicated Partner Portal. Developers who are not members of the programme but would like to participate are first asked to apply to join PartnerConnect. The challenge runs from 15 September to 15 December 2024, and winners will be announced in January 2025.