Young AI Minds Meet Global Experts as UNESCO Brings Ethics Into AI Olympiad

Professor Almeida said he was encouraged by the technical ability of the students and by the way they interacted across countries and cultures.

Young artificial intelligence competitors from around the world were given more than technical challenges at the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Astana, Kazakhstan, as UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize laureates brought questions about accountability, human oversight, governance and social responsibility directly into conversations with the next generation of AI developers.

AI Ethics Moves From Research Into the Classroom

More than 300 competitors attended lectures and discussions on the ethics of artificial intelligence on 5 August 2026, led by UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize laureates Professor Virgílio Almeida and Professor Liang Zheng, representing I-AIIG at Tsinghua University. Their sessions drew on research recognized through the Beruniy Prize and gave students an opportunity to explore how ethical principles can shape the development and use of increasingly powerful AI systems.

Professor Almeida focused on accountability, human oversight and the institutional structures needed to support responsible AI governance, bringing attention to the fact that technical progress alone cannot answer questions about who should be responsible when AI systems cause harm or make decisions affecting people. Professor Liang presented perspectives and practices from China, sharing approaches being used to strengthen ethical and responsible governance as AI technologies expand into education, public administration, research and everyday life.

Dr. Dafna Feinholz, Chief of Section of Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology at UNESCO, described the UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize as more than an award for scientific achievement, saying it also creates a platform connecting research, public policy and society through continued discussion and knowledge-sharing.

Experts Explore AI's Impact on Education, Science and Government

The laureates expanded their involvement on 6 August when Professor Almeida, Professor Liang Zheng and Ms Xiao Qian, representing I-AIIG, joined a high-level panel attended by more than 200 international experts and researchers. Discussions examined how rapid advances in AI are changing education, skills development, scientific research and public-sector transformation, with particular attention given to the need for cooperation between governments, universities, researchers and other stakeholders.

The UNESCO laureates also worked with the Scientific and Selection Committee of the Olympiad, contributing ideas on how ethical considerations could become a stronger part of the competition framework and its selection process. Their involvement is expected to help future editions treat AI ethics as an integral part of technological excellence rather than as a separate topic considered only after systems have already been developed.

Young Competitors Question What Responsible AI Should Look Like

Bringing UNESCO's AI ethics research into the Olympiad created direct exchanges between established researchers and young participants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and other regions, giving students space to ask difficult questions about the social consequences of AI development, deployment and use.

Professor Almeida said he was encouraged by the technical ability of the students and by the way they interacted across countries and cultures. He noted that the session on AI ethics and governance generated thoughtful and challenging questions, showing that young developers are already thinking beyond performance benchmarks and considering the institutions, rules and governance systems that will shape how AI affects society.

His message centred on a broader challenge facing the technology sector: creating increasingly intelligent systems is only one part of AI development, and building governance structures that ensure those systems serve people responsibly will be just as important.

Through the participation of its Beruniy Prize laureates, UNESCO is extending the impact of recognised research beyond academic circles, creating stronger links between education, policy and practice and helping young AI specialists understand that the future of artificial intelligence will be shaped not only by what technology can do, but also by the values and rules that guide how it is used.