The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence IOAI 2026 is taking place in Astana. More than 500 school students from 106 countries and territories are participating. The competition will run until 8 August.
The opening ceremony was held on 3 August with the participation of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Participants will develop AI models
Students will solve problems in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and other areas of artificial intelligence. A separate part of the competition is dedicated to programming autonomous robots.
The programme includes two individual rounds and a team challenge. Educational sessions, international discussions, and cultural events are also planned.
Astana welcomes a record number of countries
IOAI has been held since 2024. The first Olympiad took place in Burgas, Bulgaria, bringing together participants from 32 countries and territories. In 2025, the competition was held in Beijing with representatives from 61 countries and territories.
Students from 106 countries and territories have travelled to Astana for the third Olympiad, setting a new IOAI record.
The Olympiad is taking place in Astana from 2 to 8 August. IOAI 2026 in Kazakhstan is organised by the Federation of Sport Programming.