Historical news | Originally published by the Chair on 28 August 2024. This report concerns the first IOAI in 2024 and the 2025 hosting arrangements announced at that time.
The first International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) took place in Burgas, Bulgaria, on 9–15 August 2024. Official results record two Scientific Round team silver medals and one Practical Round team silver award for China's delegation: three team silver distinctions in total.
Article contents
1. The competition
The competition comprised a Scientific Round and a Practical Round.
Scientific Round
In the Scientific Round, student teams had a short time to apply advanced AI technologies to three problems in machine learning, natural language processing and computer vision. Twenty-one teams received team medals in this round.
- Teams from Singapore and Poland, together with Letovo, received four team gold medals in total.
- Teams from Hungary, China, Vietnam, Mongolia and Estonia received seven team silver medals in total.
- Teams from Romania, Poland, Vietnam, Colombia, Malaysia, Bulgaria, Iran and Canada received ten team bronze medals in total.
Practical Round
The Practical Round emphasised the use of AI tools and creative design. Working with Bulgarian musician Maria Ilieva, students used AI tools to produce visualisations for her single Love. Twenty-one teams received awards in this round.
- Teams from Bulgaria, Poland, Australia and the United States received four team gold awards.
- Teams from China, Hong Kong (China), the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Canada and Romania, together with Letovo, received seven team silver awards.
- Teams from the Netherlands, Jordan, the United States, Tunisia, Macao (China), Poland, Japan, Colombia and Vietnam received ten team bronze awards.
China's team award details
Compiled from the official 2024 results, retaining the official team identifiers and ranks within each round. The complete results are linked below.
| Round | Official team identifier | Round rank | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Round | China 1 | 7 | Silver medal |
| Scientific Round | China 2 | 11 | Silver medal |
| Practical Round | China 1 | 11 | Silver award |
2. Hosting arrangements for 2025 announced
At the closing ceremony, two team leaders accepted the IOAI flag on behalf of China as Beijing became the host for 2025. IOAI's announcement of 15 August 2024 named Beijing Normal University, Beijing National Day School and ITCCC Innovative Education as the 2025 co-hosts. The handover marked the continuation of this young international academic event in China.
3. Selection of China's delegation
Two Chinese teams were selected through two rigorous rounds from secondary-school students across the country with a strong interest in AI. Guided by experts and teachers from Renmin University of China, Beijing National Day School and Tsinghua University High School, they joined reserve national-team members and invited observers for a month of combined online and in-person training.
4. About IOAI
IOAI is a STEM-focused academic challenge for secondary-school students, seeking to inspire, develop and support talented AI students worldwide. It highlights different AI fields each year; the 2024 focus was natural language processing (NLP), machine learning and computer vision. Alongside technical challenges, its practical activities encourage public discussion of AI ethics and future development, supporting the field's healthy growth.
Sources and editorial note
Results, event background and the 2025 co-hosts were checked against official IOAI records. Selection, training and the account of two team leaders receiving the flag follow the Chair's 2024 report. Images are contemporary photographs published by IOAI. The historical text's tool terminology was clarified as AI tools, and co-hosts are named according to the official announcement.
Original link: https://aiedchair.bnu.edu.cn/news-8135-en/
