ADNOC Team Wins Top Spot in AI Contest

A team of five students from ADNOC Schools won the Etihad Airways’ Artificial Intelligence Competition, held in Abu Dhabi.

A total of five teams and 40 students participated in the competition that challenged the children to develop a service or solution that harnesses the power of AI technology in order to solve a problem or create a new capability within the aviation or air transport sectors.

The competition was held as part of the UAE’s Innovation Month.

There were phases to the contest where the students were first required to familiarise themselves with IBM’s Digital Nation (D-NA), a brand new platform. This was followed by a variety of workshops hosted by IBM, which allowed students to learn how to use AI technology in real-world environments.

Students worked in their teams to create the projects, choosing one of two problem scenarios and utilising IBM D-NA technology in order to create their solution.

The winning team, A.I.rlines from ADNOC Schools, created “Murshid”, an intelligent “chatbot” that acts as a personal assistant, optimising transit passengers’ experience, via a mobile app. The app utilised chat, map utilities, and Application Programming Interfaces.

Nilay Ozral, Chief Executive Officer, Aldar Academies, Operator & Manager of ADNOC Schools, said: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ performance in Etihad’s AI Competition. At ADNOC Schools, we place a heavy focus on STEM subjects, and our students’ success is an indicator of this.”

A panel of five judges from Etihad and IBM judged the teams’ projects based on functionality, creativity, practicality and viability.

The prizes awarded included internships at Etihad, flights to Baku, Azerbaijan and three-month subscriptions to IBM Digital Nation.