First-ever IAIO Starts in Riyadh; 25 Countries Participate

Saudi Arabia is hosting here the inaugural International AI Olympiad (IAIO), spearheaded by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), a global event aiming to boost ties among technology and software experts, as well as AI educators from various countries.
The event, organized in collaboration with the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) and the International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) in Slovenia, and held under UNESCO patronage, also seeks to draw the attention of young people to modern technologies and encourage other nations to organize similar competitions.
IAIO, held between September 8 and 12, drew participants from 25 countries.
The opening ceremony featured traditional performances and speeches that highlighted the significance of this event, the first of its kind, hosted by Saudi Arabia. President of the Scientific Committee of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence at UNESCO Prof. John Tyler, officials from SDAIA, ICAIRE, thinkers and innovators are taking part.
The Olympiad stimulates participants to engage in active discussions to explore the diverse AI applications and encourage exceptionally talented youths in this field, which is gaining increasing global attention.
It also hopes to contribute to organizing AI competitions for high school students, motivating them to find intelligent solutions by designing algorithms based on learning, data structuring, and programming.
The Olympiad enables students, specialists in AI, and global influencers to delve into the future landscape of AI, keep pace with the rapid changes the world is witnessing in this field, and equip young cadres with modern technical skills.

IAIO is part of SDAIA’s endeavors to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s global position as a leading country in the field of data and AI. It aims to help achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which seek to raise awareness about the importance of advanced technologies and equip communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to master them.