Product owner Grant Uzoanya has joined a panel of technology professionals selected to judge the first Bradford Buildathon, a one-day artificial intelligence hackathon aimed at helping young people overcome one of the barriers to entering the workplace: limited professional experience.

Held on Sunday, August 30, the event brought together young people to develop functional digital products using Lovable, a no-code AI platform, without requiring previous coding or technology experience.

The initiative focused on the gap between young people’s potential and their ability to secure their first meaningful professional opportunity, challenging participants to develop solutions addressing barriers to mentorship, work shadowing, internships and apprenticeships.

Uzoanya joined the judging panel alongside Nelson Uzenabor, AI Consultant at Multiverse; Oluwatimilehin Oni, Software Test Manager at the NHS; and Nire Adetimehin, Product Marketing Manager.

As a judge, Uzoanya assessed participants’ working prototypes against four criteria: User Value, Product Thinking, Prototype Quality and Creativity.

The judging process placed particular emphasis on whether participants had identified genuine problems and developed solutions capable of delivering meaningful value to their intended users.

For Uzoanya, the approach reflects a fundamental principle of product development: building something that works is only the beginning. The more important question is whether it solves a problem worth solving.

The format also highlighted how artificial intelligence is changing access to technology. With no-code AI platforms and prompt-engineering tools, people without traditional programming backgrounds can increasingly move from an idea to a functional prototype within a short period.

The challenge, however, is not simply learning how to use AI, but learning how to apply it effectively to understand problems, develop products and create solutions that people genuinely need.

That principle was reflected in the Buildathon’s judging process. Participants were assessed not solely on technical execution, but also on their ability to combine creativity, product thinking and an understanding of users.

Uzoanya’s appointment brought his professional product experience into that process, allowing him to evaluate the prototypes through the lens of user needs, value and practical viability.

The event is part of a broader shift towards more accessible routes into technology and innovation. As AI tools lower some of the technical barriers to developing digital products, initiatives such as the Buildathon are creating opportunities for people who may previously have been excluded from the sector because they lacked formal experience or coding skills.

For the young participants, the challenge provided an opportunity to demonstrate what they could build rather than relying solely on previous experience listed on their CVs.

For Uzoanya, his selection as a judge represents an opportunity to apply his product-development expertise while contributing to the development of emerging technology talent.

The first Bradford Buildathon offered a practical illustration of a changing technology landscape in which access to AI tools is becoming increasingly widespread, while the ability to identify meaningful problems, understand users and develop valuable solutions remains important.

As more people gain the ability to build with AI, the question may no longer be who can code. Increasingly, it may be who can identify the right problem to solve.