There are specific moral and ethical issues related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that we want to draw attention to with this Olympiad, Aleksandar Velinov and Elena Marinova, founders of the First International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, said on Tuesday, as quoted by the Association of Olympic Science teams.

"We want to give exposure to the world's best students in the field of artificial intelligence, share experiences with AI leaders on how they approach their training and give young people the opportunity to make friendships that will last a lifetime," said Velinov about the purpose of the competition.

"After the massive progress of ChatGPT in early 2022, in the summer of 2023 businesses were already working hard on AI projects. Artificial Intelligence took a big step and gained an independent position in science, on a par with disciplines like informatics, linguistics, mathematics", said Marinova.

The idea to create an Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence began in 2023, when Bulgaria hosted the 20th International Linguistics Olympiad, Velinov recalls.

"We decided it was a natural extension to set up an Artificial Intelligence Olympiad here, as Bulgaria was the first host of the International Informatics Olympiad in 1989," he added.

Bulgaria participated in the first international Olympiads in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, and with the International Olympiad of Artificial Intelligence the tradition will continue, Velinov said.

According to the two specialists, an important motive for creating the competition is to strengthen Bulgaria's position as a destination where new technologies are developed at the world level. Students from nearly 40 countries will visit Burgas from August 9 to 15 for the Olympiad, with international scientists from leading universities involved in organizing and compiling the tasks, as well as Google as a general sponsor.

"In Burgas we have the financial and logistical support of the mayor and the whole team of the Burgas Municipality. In addition, Burgas and our Black Sea coast are a destination that is definitely worth seeing and we believe that our guests will fall in love. with Bulgaria", said Velinov.

The Olympics is under the patronage of President Rumen Radev. The Olympic Games are held with the institutional support of the Ministry of Education and Science and the municipality of Burgas. /BTA