Aram Amirkhanyan, a high school student from Armenia, has won a bronze medal at the 2nd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held in Beijing, China, from August 2 to 9. The competition brought together 284 students from 60 countries.
Each country was allowed to field up to two teams, with a maximum of four participants per team. Competitors had to be under the age of 20. Armenia participated with one team.
The Armenian team was formed through the national selection stage of the experimental “AI Generation” educational program, implemented by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in collaboration with the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST). The program, which involves 11th grade students, selected participants from among roughly 400 students.
Team Armenia included 11th graders from the “AI Generation” program at Vanadzor’s Special School with advanced instruction in mathematics and sciences — Aram Amirkhanyan, Seryozha Nazaryan, and Vahe Pluzhyan — along with Davit Jaghatsapanyan from Vanadzor’s Griboyedov High School No. 11. In the team ranking, Armenia placed 16th overall, with Amirkhanyan securing a bronze medal in the individual competition.
The Olympiad consisted of three stages:
- Home round — three tasks completed prior to the event
- Team competition — two phases, including simulation tasks and challenges involving the Galbot robot
- Individual competition — six AI-focused tasks
The Armenian team was led by Tigran Ishkhanyan, AI teacher at both participating Vanadzor schools, head of the “AI Generation” program, senior scientist at Wolfram Research Inc., and PhD in Physics and Mathematics. Observers included Anush Ayvazyan, head of general education programs at FAST, and Avag Sayan, content director of the “AI Generation” program.
Launched in 2023, the “AI Generation” program will expand to 26 schools in Armenia and Yerevan starting from the 2025–2026 academic year. Designed for students in grades 10–12, the program offers advanced mathematics, programming in Python, fundamentals of artificial intelligence, and practical AI project work, with the goal of preparing future AI researchers.
