Winners of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence Admitted to HSE University
In mid-August, Bulgaria hosted the finals of the first International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) among high school students. The Russian team demonstrated excellent results, winning gold medals in the scientific round, silver medals in the practical round, and coming first in both rounds overall. This year two members of the Russian team were accepted into the programmes of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.
In the final round of the competition, the Russian team faced off against school students from 39 countries, including China, Japan, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the USA. The Central University (CU), established with the support of T-Bank, was responsible for training the team.
Currently, two members of the Russian team, Nikita Kurlaev and Andrey Gritsaev, are first-year students at HSE University. They talked to HSE News Service about the Olympiad, the admission process, and their plans for the future.
Nikita Kurlaev
About the Olympiad
— The fact that this year’s Olympiad was the first of its kind greatly influenced our experience of participating in it. It differs from traditional international Olympiads like IMO and IOI, which have a large international community and a long history of training participants. We went to the competition without knowing what tasks we would face, who the other participants would be, or how the results would be checked, etc. We prepared using official materials, but clearly it wasn’t enough.
Many teams that did not win medals included participants or candidates for the IOI and IMO national teams. These are extremely smart people who, unfortunately, did not dedicate enough time to studying the features of ML. I am sure that next year it will be even more challenging but also more interesting to participate in this Olympiad.
I am pleased to have taken first place, although it was a difficult achievement. We have been diligently preparing for a long time and we have benefited from years of experience in Olympiads, including the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren, as well as our knowledge of mathematics and computer science.
About machine learning
— I've been interested in machine learning for a long time, but I didn't acquire the skills I needed to study it until the 10th grade. Even a basic understanding of ML methods requires a good knowledge of mathematics at a level beyond the school curriculum. At first, ML seemed like magic to me, and I tried unsuccessfully to play around with existing models. It wasn’t until grades 10–11 that I started to study machine learning more seriously. I read articles and books about ML, worked on small projects.
About HSE University
— I have realised that HSE University meets my requirements much better than other universities. This decision was based on several factors, including university values, campus infrastructure, teaching staff, and study process. I am confident that the ‘Applied Mathematics and Information Science’ programme at FCS offers the best bachelor's programme in computer science in Russia.
About my future plans
— In the next four years, my main focus will be on completing my degree. I may participate in student competitions or internships, but studying remains my top priority. After graduating, I hope to pursue a master’s degree in a related field. I envision myself engaging in scientific research and perhaps working in the ML field. While it’s difficult to predict what my interests will be in a few years, at the moment, I can only speak about my current interests, hoping they will remain relevant in the future.
Andrey Gritsaev
About the Olympiad
— I wanted to participate in the Olympiad for several reasons. Firstly, it was an opportunity to compete and solve problems in a field that I’m interested in. Secondly, I wanted to meet smart students from other countries who shared my passion for AI. The Olympiad consisted of two rounds: a scientific round and a practical round. In the scientific round, we were given problems that simulated real research in AI. These problems were divided into three categories: machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. During the practical round, we conducted experiments with AI software, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E 2.
Tips for high school students
— Consider participating in the All-Russian Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence if you are interested in this field. Additionally, if you want to learn more about machine learning, I suggest taking some courses. This year, there may be training camps preparing for AI Olympiads, so it's worth keeping an eye out for updates from the Olympiad community.
About my future plans
— In the next few years, I intend to pursue research and work in this area.
See also:
‘Policymakers Should Prioritise Investing in AI for Climate Adaptation’
Michael Appiah, from Ghana, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Laboratory of Intangible-Driven Economy (IDLab) at HSE University–Perm. He recently spoke at the seminar ‘Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization, and Climate Vulnerability: Evidence from Heterogeneous Panel Models’ about his research on ‘the interplay between artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and climate vulnerability.’ Michael told the HSE News Service about the academic journey that led him to HSE University, his early impressions of Perm, and how AI can be utilised to combat climate change.
AI Overestimates How Smart People Are, According to HSE Economists
Scientists at HSE University have found that current AI models, including ChatGPT and Claude, tend to overestimate the rationality of their human opponents—whether first-year undergraduate students or experienced scientists—in strategic thinking games, such as the Keynesian beauty contest. While these models attempt to predict human behaviour, they often end up playing 'too smart' and losing because they assume a higher level of logic in people than is actually present. The study has been published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
HSE Scientists Develop DeepGQ: AI-based 'Google Maps' for G-Quadruplexes
Researchers at the HSE AI Research Centre have developed an AI model that opens up new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases, including brain cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Using artificial intelligence, the team studied G-quadruplexes—structures that play a crucial role in cellular function and in the development of organs and tissues. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.
HSE Strategic Technological Projects in 2025
In 2025, HSE University continued its participation in the Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Programme, maintaining a strong focus on technological leadership in line with the programme’s updated framework. A key element of the university’s technological leadership strategy is its Strategic Technological Projects (STPs), aimed at creating in-demand, knowledge-intensive products and services.
School Students Master Communication with GigaChat at HSE and Sber Hackathon
In late December 2025, a unique competition was held at HSE University where participants solved challenges not by writing code, but solely by interacting with Sber’s GigaChat artificial intelligence model. The Improm(p)tu hackathon was an experiment less about programming skills than a new form of literacy: the ability to work effectively with AI by translating complex problems into a language neural networks can understand.
Artificial Intelligence Transforms Employment in Russian Companies
Russian enterprises rank among the world’s top ten leaders in AI adoption. In 2023, nearly one-third of domestic companies reported using artificial intelligence. According to a new study by Larisa Smirnykh, Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, the impact of digitalisation on employment is uneven: while the introduction of AI in small and large enterprises led to a reduction in the number of employees, in medium-sized companies, on the contrary, it contributed to job growth. The article has been published in Voprosy Ekonomiki.
HSE Seeks New Ideas for AI Agents: Initiative Competition Launched
HSE University is inviting researchers and lecturers to present concepts for new digital products based on artificial intelligence. The best projects will receive expert and technological support. Applications are open until December 19, 2025.
Final of International Yandex–HSE Olympiad in AI and Data Analysis Held at HSE University
Yandex Education and the HSE Faculty of Computer Science have announced the results of the international AIDAO (Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis Olympiad) competition. Students from 14 countries took part. For the second year in a row, first place went to the team AI Capybara, which developed the most accurate AI model for an autonomous vehicle vision system.
AI Lingua Included in Compilation of Best International AI Practices in Higher Education
HSE University has been acknowledged internationally for its pioneering efforts in integrating artificial intelligence into higher education. The AI Lingua Neural Network developed at HSE was included in the renowned international collection ‘The Global Development of AI-Empowered Higher Education: Beyond the Horizon.’ The compilation was prepared by the Institute of Education (IOE) of Tsinghua University with the support of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and a global advisory committee, which included experts from Oxford, UCL, Sorbonne, Stanford, and other leading academic centres.
Technological Breakthrough: Research by AI and Digital Science Institute Recognised at AI Journey 2025
Researchers from the AI and Digital Science Institute (part of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science) presented cutting-edge AI studies, noted for their scientific novelty and practical relevance, at the AI Journey 2025 International Conference. A research project by Maxim Rakhuba, Head of the Laboratory for Matrix and Tensor Methods in Machine Learning, received the AI Leaders 2025 award. Aibek Alanov, Head of the Centre of Deep Learning and Bayesian Methods, was among the finalists.