When I tell people I won a silver medal at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, I'm often met with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Wait, there's an AI Olympiad?" they ask, eyes widening. "What does that even look like?"

It's a fair question. After all, the IOAI is one of the newest additions to the prestigious family of International Science Olympiads, joining well-established competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other traditional subjects. But unlike these disciplines—which have centuries of academic tradition and well-defined curricula—artificial intelligence exists in a state of constant evolution and reinvention.

This novelty creates a fascinating challenge: how do you design an olympiad for a field that's still defining itself? What constitutes an "olympiad-level" AI problem when the technology itself transforms every few months? And perhaps most importantly, what purpose should such a competition serve in our rapidly changing technological landscape?

As both a medalist from IOAI 2024 and now a member of the Scientific Committee for NOAI and IOAI 2025, I find myself uniquely positioned to explore these questions. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing my thoughts on what makes an AI Olympiad special, what principles should guide our problem design, and how this competition might shape the future of AI education globally.

In this blog series, we'll explore:

What is the Purpose of ISOs in general? - The fundamental goals of International Science Olympiads and how they serve as more than just competitions

What is the Purpose of IOAI specifically? - How artificial intelligence's unique characteristics create both challenges and opportunities for an olympiad format

My revelations in IOAI - Personal insights from my journey from competitor to committee member, and how my understanding has evolved

Characteristics of excellent AI olympiad problems - What we can learn from established olympiads while creating something uniquely suited to AI's distinctive nature

Whether you're a student considering participating in future competitions, an educator interested in AI education, or simply curious about how we evaluate excellence in emerging fields, I hope this series offers valuable insights into the exciting world of competitive AI.

Join me as we explore not just what an "AI Olympiad" means today, but what it could—and should—become tomorrow.