RIYADH: Four Saudi students are representing the Kingdom this week at the third annual International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad.
More than 100 countries are competing at what is considered one of the world’s leading AI contests for high school students, which this year year is hosted by Astana in Kazakhstan.
The members of the Saudi team are Yousef Farid Al-Khalawi and Qusay Emad Jadallah, both from Jeddah, Ali Ayman Al-Khabbaz, from the Eastern Province, and Hamad Mohammed Al-Kalbani, from Riyadh.
They earned their places through a specialized training program as part of an International Olympiads initiative organized by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba, which provided intensive coaching from expert trainers in AI concepts and applications.
Their preparations included workshops and training camps focusing on the development of practical and theoretical skills in areas such as machine learning, algorithm development and problem-solving, to enable them to compete at an international level.
They are taking part in the competition, which began on Aug. 2 and concludes on Aug. 8, under the supervision of Mawhiba in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The AI Olympiad is one of the newest global science competitions for high-school students. It tests participants with practical and theoretical challenges that cover topics such as machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision, while promoting a spirit of innovation and collaboration among young AI talent worldwide.
The Kingdom made its debut at the Olympiad last year in Beijing, where the Saudi team won four bronze medals, an achievement that was described as highlighting growing Saudi capabilities in AI and other advanced technologies.
Participation again this year was said to form part of efforts by Mawhiba and the Ministry of Education to prepare Saudi students to compete in future-focused scientific and technological fields, and to strengthen the Kingdom’s presence at international academic competitions.
