Call for Code
AI 2026
[WHERE DEVELOPERS SOLVE THE WORLDS GREATEST CHALLENGES WTH TRUSTED AI ]
A proven global platform
now built for AI
Call for Code was built on a simple but powerful premise:
that the world’s developer community—when aligned with leading global institutions—can solve complex challenges at unprecedented scale.
Launched in 2018 on the global stage at VivaTech in Paris, with IBM as Founding Partner, United Nations Human Rights as Global Impact Partner, and The Linux Foundation as Program Affiliate, Call for Code was established not as a campaign—but as infrastructure.
Through its partnership with UN Human Rights—the United Nations entity responsible for advancing and protecting human rights across the international system—Call for Code operates in alignment with global priorities, policy frameworks, and real-world challenges at the nation-state level. This enables solutions not only to be created, but to be positioned for adoption by governments, institutions, and communities worldwide.
Over eight years, Call for Code has grown into the largest developer mobilizations of its kind—engaging more than 1 million developers across 190+ countries and catalyzing over 50,000 applications spanning climate resilience, disaster response, public health, sustainability, and human rights.
What distinguishes Call for Code is not participation alone—but execution: the ability to align developers, institutions, and influential cultural figures with global visibility, elevating breakthrough ideas and carrying them beyond concept into real-world deployment at scale.
This is not a concept.
It is a proven global system.
Now, it enters its next chapter.
Call for Code AI is the evolution of that foundation—independent, AI-native, and built to support the development and deployment of trusted AI systems at global scale.
The infrastructure for what comes next.
From capability to accountability
Artificial intelligence is becoming core infrastructure — embedded in healthcare, financial markets, climate modeling, emergency response, and public services worldwide.
The question is no longer what AI can do.
The question is whether it can be trusted.
Call for Code AI answers that question.
It serves as a neutral proving ground for frontier AI systems—evaluating performance, safety, scalability, and alignment with human-rights-centered standards.
Not in theory.
In real-world conditions.
This is not a hackathon.
It is global infrastructure for accountable AI deployment.
Built at scale.
Structured for trust.
Positioned for impact.
1M+
Developers engaged
190+
Countries represented
50K+
Applications created
$60M+
Ecosystem investment
Open-source stewardship through The Linux Foundation
Formal collaboration with United Nations Human Rights embedding global standards
Real-world deployment pathways beyond prototype
Throughout its history, Call for Code has bridged technical rigor with global visibility—engaging leaders across the United Nations system, national governments, enterprise, academia, and culture.
Not to generate ideas. To move solutions into the real world.
At global scale. With institutional trust.
The next frontier is clear:
Operationalizing accountability for AI systems across sectors and societies.
The global challenge and rapid activation
At its core, the Call for Code AI Global Challenge mobilizes developers, enterprises, universities, and global institutions to build AI solutions designed for real-world deployment.
At its core, the Call for Code AI Global Challenge mobilizes developers, enterprises, universities, and global institutions to build AI solutions designed for real-world deployment.
It operates across sectors—climate, public health, justice, sustainability, and beyond—where technology can directly advance human progress.
The model is built to move beyond prototypes:
Innovation → validation → deployment
Breakthrough solutions are:
- recognized at the global level
- validated within institutional frameworks
- and supported toward implementation
Through the United Nations system, industry leadership, and cultural influence, the platform provides something few others can:
A global stage for solutions that matter—and the pathway to deploy them.
Alongside the flagship Global Challenge, Spot Challenges enable rapid, targeted mobilization—activating the global community in response to urgent issues in real time.
Each initiative operates within a consistent governance framework—ensuring that speed never comes at the expense of accountability.
As AI advances faster than regulatory consensus, platforms that can validate, govern, and deploy trusted systems will define the future.
Call for Code AI is designed to serve that role—not as a competition alone, but as global platform to promote accountable AI innovation.
Founder statement
“Call for Code was built through extraordinary collaboration. In its founding chapter, IBM joined United Nations Human Rights and The Linux Foundation to help establish a global platform where developers could apply technology to the world’s most pressing challenges.
Over time, it grew into the largest developer mobilization of its kind—demonstrating what is possible when innovation is supported not only by technology, but by institutions and culture.
Today, as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in the systems that shape our societies, the responsibility to build technology that serves humanity has never been greater.
Call for Code AI represents the next evolution of that vision—mobilizing a global community not only to create innovation, but to ensure it is deployed responsibly, at scale, where it matters most.”
— David Clark
Questions & Answers
[ About CFC AI ]
About Call for Code AI
Call for Code AI is global infrastructure for turning innovation into action. It connects builders with the institutions, platforms, and pathways required to move ideas from concept to deployment—at speed and at scale. Built on a foundation of open collaboration and cross-sector partnership, it is designed to ensure that the most promising solutions are not only created, but implemented where they can make a measurable difference.
[ Why CFC AI ]
Why Call for Code AI?
AI will shape every sector of society—but its impact depends on how it is directed. Call for Code AI provides a framework for channeling that power toward public good, aligning innovation with accountability, and connecting technical talent to real-world needs. It is where capability meets responsibility—ensuring that progress is not only accelerated, but guided.
[ 2026 CFC AI ]
About 2026
The next phase is already in motion. A new global challenge and a series of focused activations will soon open—designed to mobilize talent quickly, surface breakthrough ideas, and connect them to real-world opportunities for deployment.
Details will be announced shortly.
