Year 8 student Muyao Zhang represented Australia at the 2026 International Winter AI Olympiad (IAIO) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, held in February and organised by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) under UNESCO. Around 100 students from 24 countries competed in theoretical and practical challenges designed to test advanced skills in AI, mathematics, and algorithms.
Muyao achieved an Honourable Mention, the highest result for Team Australia. She described the Olympiad as an experience that greatly strengthened her mathematical reasoning, independent problem‑solving, and focus under pressure. With no AI tools or internet access allowed during the competition, each task required competitors to rely entirely on their own understanding. “I had to build and train models from scratch and keep refining them. Staying patient and positive – even when technical issues affected submissions – was essential,” she said.
One of the most memorable problems for her involved evaluating models on imbalanced medical datasets, demonstrating how metrics such as accuracy can be misleading. A model predicting only the majority class may appear accurate while failing to detect any real cases of disease. “It showed me how important it is to choose evaluation metrics carefully,” she said. “It also made me think about how similar issues might affect real‑world diagnostic tools. Understanding a model’s limitations can be just as important as building it.”
Although the competition was individual, Muyao valued the informal exchanges with students from other countries. She enjoyed discussing problem‑solving approaches, preparation strategies, and recognising familiar faces from previous Olympiads. “It reminded me that AI research is truly global,” she said. “Even though we come from different cultures, we share the same curiosity. Those conversations showed me how valuable open exchange is in STEM.”
One aspect that changed her perspective on AI was working entirely without digital assistance. “It made me realise how important it is to fully understand the mathematics, algorithms, and logical thinking behind AI systems,” she said. The experience strengthened her interest in the foundational principles that underpin modern machine learning.
Looking ahead, the Olympiad has inspired Muyao to continue exploring AI more deeply through study and personal projects. She hopes to develop a stronger understanding of optimisation, algorithms, and the mathematical structures that support AI systems. “IAIO motivated me to keep learning, keep improving, and keep connecting with others who share similar interests,” she said.
Muyao’s achievement is an outstanding result for Team Australia and a testament to her hard work, curiosity, and determination.
