International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI)

The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) is the most recently established official olympiad among the International Science Olympiads (ISO), held for high-school students worldwide in the field of artificial intelligence. Participants compete in theoretical and practical ability across core AI fields such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, with academic and cultural exchange among national delegations running alongside.

International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence

The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) is the most recently established official olympiad among the International Science Olympiads (ISO), held for high-school students worldwide in the field of artificial intelligence. Participants compete in theoretical and practical ability across core AI fields such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, with academic and cultural exchange among national delegations running alongside.

Founding Background and Significance

As the influence of AI on human society grows, IOAI was launched in 2024 with the aim of discovering next-generation AI talent early and spreading a culture of cross-border cooperation and responsible innovation. Experts from leading universities such as MIT, the University of Oxford, and the University of Copenhagen participate in problem design and operation, and beginning with the 2026 edition, it will be held under UNESCO's patronage.

Editions to Date

EditionYearHostScale
1st2024Burgas, Bulgaria41 teams from 32 countries, about 200 participants
2nd2025Beijing, China54 countries, about 300 participants
3rd2026Astana, KazakhstanWith UNESCO's patronage
4th2027SingaporePlanned

Competition Structure

IOAI consists broadly of three rounds.
  • Scientific Round: An individual-style round in which participants solve real-world tasks in major AI fields such as machine learning, NLP, and CV within a given time.
  • Practical Round: A practice-oriented task in which participants design, train, and optimize models using large-scale data and computing resources.
  • Team Challenge: A round in which team members collaborate to solve a creative task, with the theme varying by year. In 2024 it was AI-based image and video generation; in 2025 it was robot programming (warehouse tidying).

How to Participate

Each country/region selects its delegation through its official NOAI (National Olympiad in AI). Up to 2 teams may be entered per country, each team consisting of 4 students and 1 leader. The Republic of Korea selects its delegation through the Korean Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (KOAI).

Medals and Awards

Medals are awarded to the top 50% of individual-round participants, with a gold : silver : bronze ratio of 1:2:3. In addition, the GAITE (Global AI Talent Empowerment) program runs in parallel to support countries and regions with limited experience of international olympiads.

Regional Olympiads

IOAI is linked to continental regional competitions — notably APOAI in the Asia-Pacific region and NAOAI in North America. Domestic students can advance through KOAI to APOAI and to the IOAI finals.