Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), is set to organize the inaugural International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (IAIO), attracting participants from over 25 countries. Scheduled to take place from September 8 to 12, 2024, this event is a collaborative effort with the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Ethics and Research (ICAIRE), the International Research Center on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) in Slovenia, and under the patronage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Olympiad aims to create an international platform for AI competition, nurturing talent and honing skills. It seeks to bring together scientists and enthusiasts from around the globe to exchange expertise, develop skills, and stay abreast of the latest advancements in artificial intelligence.
A Platform for Knowledge Exchange
In preparation for the event, SDAIA organized a series of virtual lectures over five weeks, open to participating international teams and students worldwide. Topics covered included an introduction to artificial intelligence, its societal impact, core methodologies, data handling, deep generative models, supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, among others.
These lectures are a significant step in preparing participants and enhancing their knowledge in this vital field, boosting the teams’ ability to compete in the international Olympiad. This initiative falls within SDAIA’s efforts to position the Kingdom as a leading nation in data and artificial intelligence.
Raising Global AI Awareness
Each participating country will be represented by a team of up to four students, who will compete individually over two days during the third edition of the Global AI Summit. The first day is dedicated to scientific questions, while the second day focuses on solving scientific problems using AI technologies through a dedicated platform.
This Olympiad is part of SDAIA’s broader efforts to enhance global awareness of the importance of AI technologies. It also contributes to achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by equipping communities with the knowledge and skills needed to master these advanced technologies.
The International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad emerges as a strategic step to bolster Saudi Arabia’s status in the realm of artificial intelligence. By providing a global platform for talented individuals and scientists, the Kingdom demonstrates its commitment to skill development and international knowledge exchange. With SDAIA planning to expand this event to include more countries in the future, the Olympiad marks a new beginning for a globally connected community engaged with cutting-edge technologies.
Source: SPA
