CJ Olive Networks wraps up 'Girls Can Do IT' AI cooking hackathon

CJ Olive Networks said Thursday it had successfully held "Girls Can Do IT 2026," an AI cooking hackathon tied to the CJ-UNESCO Girls' Education Campaign.

The event brought together 30 female middle school students from nine community child centers in the Greater Seoul area, all member institutions of CJ Donors Camp, in partnership with the CJ Nanum Foundation. The students explored healthy-eating challenges using AI and data, then translated their solutions into actual dishes.

"Girls Can Do IT" is a corporate social responsibility program run by CJ Olive Networks to help close the digital education gap. Now in its sixth year, this edition introduced a new curriculum combining big data and generative AI technology around the theme of nutrition and healthy eating.

Before the main event, students completed preparatory sessions covering nutritional imbalances and essential nutrients for growing adolescents, as well as AI fundamentals — including how to write prompts and how to analyze and visualize data.

The hackathon was held Saturday at the CJ Human Development Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, where students teamed up with CJ Olive Networks employee mentors to analyze nutritional data by ingredient and develop healthy recipes using generative AI.

Each team then cooked the dishes they had designed and presented their data analysis process, AI methods and expected outcomes alongside the finished food. The event showcased a range of AI-developed recipe ideas aimed at addressing everyday health concerns such as calcium deficiency and diabetes.

Through the program, students built the ability to apply AI and data to real-life problems and developed interdisciplinary thinking skills bridging food and technology.

CJ Olive Networks said the students experienced every stage of the process firsthand — from generating ideas and analyzing data to using AI tools, producing results and delivering presentations — gaining a sense of how digital technology can extend into diverse industries and career paths.

Im Seong-sun, a CJ CheilJedang chef and certified culinary master who served as a judge, said it was meaningful to meet young talents who had used AI and data to create inventive, sustainable dishes. "I hope this experience helps the children grow toward their dreams," he added.

CJ Olive Networks said it plans to keep expanding its AI and software education programs and contribute to developing future talent and narrowing the digital education gap through hands-on learning that draws on data and AI.