🚀 Building Two AI-Powered Solutions at HACKHAZARDS '26: VeritasFlow & PermitFlow

Introduction

Innovation begins with identifying real-world problems and building technology that creates meaningful impact. That belief guided our team throughout HACKHAZARDS '26, a global community-driven buildathon organized by NAMESPACE.

Unlike traditional 24- or 48-hour hackathons, HACKHAZARDS gave participants nearly two months to research, design, develop, and refine production-ready solutions instead of rushed prototypes. With over 30,000 participants from more than 75 countries, the event brought together developers, designers, and innovators to solve meaningful challenges using modern technologies.

As a team, we challenged ourselves to build solutions for two completely different problem domains. One focused on improving digital wellbeing and responsible information consumption. The other focused on transforming construction permit approvals through AI-powered compliance automation. That journey resulted in two projects:

• 🧠 VeritasFlow – AI-Powered Information Diet Coach
• 🏗️ PermitFlow – The Construction Compliance Autopilot

Although they solve different problems, both projects share the same vision: Building AI that solves real-world problems, not just showcases technology.

🧠 Project 1: VeritasFlow – AI-Powered Information Diet Coach

The Problem

The internet gives us unlimited access to information, but not all information is beneficial. Every day people are exposed to endless news articles, social media feeds, videos, and recommendations that often prioritize engagement over quality. This results in information overload, echo chambers, misinformation, and unhealthy digital habits. We wanted to build a platform that helps users become more mindful of what they consume online.

Our Solution

VeritasFlow is an AI-powered Information Diet Coach that analyzes users' content consumption patterns and recommends healthier, more balanced, and more informative content. Rather than maximizing screen time, VeritasFlow focuses on improving digital wellbeing through intelligent recommendations and personalized insights. Users can understand how they consume information and gradually build healthier digital habits.

Key Features

• AI-powered content analysis
• Sentiment analysis
• Personalized recommendations
• Article summarization
• Digital wellbeing dashboard
• Information diversity score
• Reading insights
• AI-powered recommendation engine

Technology Stack

• React
• FastAPI
• Python
• MongoDB
• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Sentiment Analysis
• Recommendation Engine

Implementation

The platform processes user content using NLP techniques to identify topics, sentiment, and reading patterns. Based on this analysis, the recommendation engine suggests educational and balanced content while providing personalized insights into users' digital habits. Our goal was not to encourage users to spend more time online but to help them spend their time more meaningfully.

🏗️ Project 2: PermitFlow – The Construction Compliance Autopilot

The Problem

Construction permits remain one of the biggest bottlenecks in urban development. Contractors often spend weeks navigating complicated zoning regulations, submitting repetitive paperwork, correcting applications, and waiting for approvals. Even a single missing document can delay an entire construction project. We wanted to simplify this complex process using Artificial Intelligence.

Our Solution

PermitFlow is an AI-powered construction compliance platform that streamlines the permit approval workflow for contractors, architects, municipal officers, and administrators. Users upload project documents, and the platform automatically analyzes compliance requirements, detects missing information, assists with documentation, and guides applicants throughout the approval process.

Key Features

• AI Blueprint Analysis
• OCR-based document extraction
• Compliance Gap Detection
• Government Form Autofill
• Permit Status Tracking
• Municipal Officer Dashboard
• Admin Analytics Dashboard
• AI Compliance Assistant
• Multilingual Support

Technology Stack

• React
• FastAPI
• Python
• MongoDB
• OCR
• JWT Authentication
• Sarvam AI

How We Used Sarvam AI

PermitFlow was also built for the Sarvam AI Track, where Sarvam AI became a key part of our solution. We integrated Sarvam AI to:

• Build a multilingual AI compliance assistant
• Answer user queries related to zoning rules, FAR limits, setbacks, Fire NOCs, and municipal regulations
• Translate compliance guidance into multiple Indian languages
• Enable voice-based interactions for easier accessibility
• Simplify complex legal and technical regulations into easy-to-understand explanations

By integrating Sarvam AI, PermitFlow became more accessible, user-friendly, and practical for contractors, architects, and government officials across India.

Challenges We Faced

Although both projects belonged to different industries, they presented equally interesting engineering challenges.

For VeritasFlow, designing recommendations that promote healthier information consumption rather than maximizing engagement required careful planning and experimentation.

For PermitFlow, understanding complex construction regulations and transforming them into a simple AI-assisted workflow required thoughtful product design and user-centric development.

Throughout the hackathon, we continuously refined our UI, backend architecture, and AI workflows to create solutions that were both practical and intuitive.

What We Learned

HACKHAZARDS '26 taught us that successful AI applications begin with understanding real user problems. Beyond writing code, we learned the importance of product thinking, collaboration, user experience, and responsible AI implementation.

Working on two completely different projects also strengthened our understanding of full-stack development, document intelligence, recommendation systems, workflow automation, and AI integration.

Looking Ahead

Both projects have exciting possibilities for future development.

VeritasFlow

• Browser Extension
• Fake News Detection
• AI Wellness Score
• Social Media Feed Analysis
• Mobile Application
• Advanced Recommendation Models

PermitFlow

• GIS-based Zoning Verification
• BIM/CAD Blueprint Support
• Real-time Municipal API Integration
• Predictive Approval Analytics
• Digital Signature Support
• Inspection Scheduling
• Mobile App for Field Officers

Final Thoughts

HACKHAZARDS '26 was much more than a hackathon-it was an incredible learning journey. It gave us the opportunity to transform ideas into working products, collaborate as a team, and explore how AI can solve meaningful problems across entirely different industries.

From promoting healthier digital habits with VeritasFlow to simplifying construction compliance through PermitFlow and Sarvam AI, this journey reinforced one important belief: Technology creates the greatest impact when it solves real problems for real people.

A heartfelt thank you to NAMESPACE, the mentors, organizers, and partner communities for creating such an amazing platform for builders around the world. We are excited to continue improving both projects beyond the hackathon and turn them into solutions that create real-world impact.

👥 Team

• Prerna - Team Lead
• Tanya Garg - AI & Backend Developer
• Kritika Maurya - Frontend & Design Lead

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to connect, share feedback, or discuss these projects, feel free to reach out. Happy building! 🚀