Over 200 students from 32 countries are participating in Cluj-Napoca in the first edition of the Central European Artificial Intelligence Olympiad, which is hosted by the 'Babes-Bolyai' University (UBB).

'Over 200 of the most talented high school students passionate about artificial intelligence, representing 32 countries in Europe and beyond, are participating this week in the first edition of the Central European Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (CEOAI), officially opened on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB). Held in the Auditorium Maximum of UBB, the opening ceremony brought together the participating students, representatives of academia, public authorities, the international artificial intelligence community and global technology companies,' a release from UBB informed on Wednesday.

According to the cited source, among the guests present at the opening ceremony were Professor John Shawe-Taylor, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Artificial Intelligence at University College London and president of the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (IAIO), representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Education and Research, local and county authorities, the business community, as well as members of the international competition committee.

'Today, Babes-Bolyai University is an important actor in the development of artificial intelligence, both through education and research, as well as through permanent dialogue with the economic environment and international partners, being, moreover, the university that proposed the development of the first undergraduate program in Romania in the field of artificial intelligence. Also, as minister, I proposed and supported the introduction of the study of artificial intelligence in both university and pre-university education. We are glad that we can host the first edition of the Central European Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence and that we can contribute to the training of the new generation of specialists in a strategic field for contemporary society', declared the rector of UBB Daniel David.

He highlighted the university's broader contribution to the development of Romanian education in the field of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that UBB played an essential role in defining national standards for undergraduate university programs dedicated to this field.

In the following days, participants will take theoretical and practical tests inspired by real problems, developing and evaluating artificial intelligence models on the olimpiada.nitro-ai.org platform, following the structure of international competitions in the field. The Olympiad program includes workshops, mentoring sessions, presentations by prestigious researchers and meetings with representatives of global technology companies, offering participants the opportunity to interact directly with specialists from academia and industry.

'The organization of the first edition of the Central European Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence confirms the tradition of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Babes-Bolyai University in research and education in the field of artificial intelligence, contributing to the consolidation of Cluj's reputation as one of the most important innovation and IT centers in Central and Eastern Europe and reconfirming UBB's commitment to promoting academic excellence, supporting performance and developing strategic international partnerships, oriented towards knowledge and innovation. Artificial intelligence represents one of the newest Olympic disciplines at the international level. The first world competitions dedicated exclusively to this field appeared only in 2024, amid the accelerated development of AI technologies and the need to train a new generation of researchers and engineers. CEOAI contributes to the consolidation of this ecosystem by creating a regional competition dedicated to Europe, inspired by the established model of the International Olympiads in Informatics', the cited source mentions.

To date, Romanian students have won 27 medals at the two International Olympiads in Artificial Intelligence - 2 gold medals, 10 silver and 15 bronze medals - confirming the high level of training in this field and positioning Romania among the countries with consistent results since the emergence of these competitions. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marius Septimiu Avram; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)