Ten Ukrainian teenage teams are gearing up to take on the global Teens in AI techathon

Ukraine continues to shape a new generation of technology leaders. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, together with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Lviv IT Cluster, has selected 10 of the strongest teams to compete in the global Teens in AI 2026 challenge.

 

These teams bring together 53 talented teenagers chosen from 321 applicants. The participants already have solid backgrounds in Python programming, robotics, and drone development. The teams represent different parts of the country — from Kyiv and Lviv to Zaporizhzhia and Kropyvnytskyi. Alongside the students, experienced mentors will work on innovations and help the teams turn their ideas into real AI-powered products.

The preparation began with Inspiration Week — a series of workshops during which teenagers explored how AI and data science can be used for social good. For example, Daniela Andrade from Harvard explained how storytelling can support mental health, while Tara Steele from the Safe AI for Children Alliance taught digital literacy strategies to help young people think critically in an algorithm-driven world. Participants also examined inclusion case studies in the tech sector and learned how to stay true to their values when developing products.

 

From Feb. 9 to 13, the teams move into an intensive phase — Bootcamp Week. This Ukrainian initiative, led by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Lviv IT Cluster, brings together experienced mentors who, over five days, will help teams turn ideas into real AI products. The program is highly practical and includes:

 

• How design thinking saves AI projects from failure — led by Kateryna Severinko, product development director at Proste ZNO and a board member of the EdTech Association.
  
  

• How technology solutions and AI become tools for addressing global challenges — a lecture by Alina Konovalchenko, director of operations at the UN Global Compact.
  
  

• Project development, evaluation criteria, and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals — presented by Tetiana Nanaieva, head of the Expert Advisory Committee on Digital Technologies in Education at Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science.
  
  

• AI ethics — a professional perspective from Oleksii Shamuratov, data engineer at BrainStack, Ph.D., and lecturer at the Department of Artificial Intelligence Systems at Lviv Polytechnic National University.
  
  

• Pitch or die — how to make your pitch effective — Yana Paladiieva, team lead and head of innovation ecosystem development at WIN2EDIH, will train teams in project pitching.
  
  

• AI against information operations — Kateryna Burova, engineer at LetsData, will share how different approaches — from simple rules to complex AI models — help detect bots, disinformation, and other harmful influence operations.
  
  

• The role of artificial intelligence in future innovation projects — a technical workshop by Anastasiia Shuplat, senior training program manager at Beetroot Academy, and a speaker in Google educational programs.
  
  

 

After Bootcamp Week, the teams will advance to the national final on Feb. 21–22. Teenagers will present their own chatbots and NLP models designed to address real-world challenges. The strongest team will represent Ukraine at the international Demo Day in April, competing for first place among participants from 101 countries.

We are showing the world that Ukrainian youth are among the leaders in artificial intelligence.

The initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Lviv IT Cluster, with the support of IT company TechMagic, as part of the international Teens in AI techathon.