Balgarianovinite.com Innovation and Digital Transformation Minister Ivan Vasilev attended the closing ceremony of the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), held between August 2 and 8 in Astana, the Ministry said on Monday. Vasilev presented the Bulgarian award and met with the Bulgarian national team.
Addressing more than 460 young talents from over 100 countries, Vasilev said that the last century was shaped by oil, steel, money and geography. “Yours will be shaped by minds, because artificial intelligence is a tool that multiplies not our muscles, but our intelligence. Whether it becomes one of civilization’s great achievements will be decided by the people who understand it most deeply, and many of them are in this hall,” he added.
The Minister also highlighted the achievements of Bulgarian students, which have placed them among the world’s best in mathematics, computer science and the natural sciences.
A highlight of Vasilev’s visit to Kazakhstan was a meeting with the Bulgarian national team. He discussed with the participants their needs, ranging from institutional support for preparation and participation in international competitions to opportunities for internships and work on real-world projects in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian students won one silver medal, two bronze medals and two honourable mentions at the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, held between August 2 and 8.
The visit to Kazakhstan also included a series of meetings dedicated to digital transformation, attended by Bulgarian Ambassador Georgi Vodenski.
Vasilev met with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev. The two discussed bilateral cooperation in digital governance and artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan has declared 2026 the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and aims to become a fully digital state within three years.
Vasilev also visited the Alem.AI International Center for Artificial Intelligence and held talks with the management of Astana Hub, one of the largest technology parks in Central Asia, as well as with representatives of the Qazaq AI Research University (QAIRU) and technology company Qazbot.
The discussions focused on exchanging experience in training artificial intelligence specialists.
The IOAI is held under the patronage of UNESCO. Its third edition in Astana is the largest so far. The inaugural event took place in Burgas in 2024 with nearly 200 participants, while the second edition, held in Beijing in 2025, brought together 310 contestants from 63 countries. Innovation Minister Attends Closing Ceremony of International AI Olympiad in Astana 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-10 15:34:48 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law