India, Sep 08: Global Learning Foundation in association with STEMLearn.AI, On 28th Aug, launched GLF AI Olympiad 2026 at IIT Bombay Campus, a national initiative designed to build AI literacy among students from Grades 3 to 10. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in education, careers and everyday life, the programme aims to help young learners understand not just how to use AI tools, but how AI works, where it is applied and how to use it responsibly—building the knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for an AI-driven future. The programme brings together an ecosystem of academic and technology institutions, including Techfest, IIT Bombay; National Educational Alliance for Technology, AICTE; IIIT Allahabad; COEP Technological University, Pune; Research Park Foundation, Savitribai Phule Pune University; Shivaji University Kolhapur; and STEMLearn.AI, supporting the initiative across innovation, academic validation, curriculum and learning.
The launch was marked by a gathering of academic and institutional leaders, IIT Bombay/Techfest representatives, educators, AI and STEM experts, and the STEMLearn.AI team to discuss the growing importance of AI literacy and future-ready education. The gathering was attended by Prof. Mandar Karyakarte, Prof. Arvind Shaligram, Prof. Kavita S. Oza, Dr. Atul Padalkar, and partner school owners and principals. Global Learning Foundation aims to reach 10 lakh students PAN India through the AI Olympiad this year — a 100X increase from its inaugural year.
AI Olympiad 2026 is designed as a holistic learning, assessment and application journey, combining grade-specific AI Olympiad Prep books, access to the STEMLearn.AI learning platform, sample papers, mock tests and personalised learning support. The curriculum progresses from AI in everyday life, data and algorithms to machine learning, Generative AI, Python, neural networks, ethics, bias and real-world applications, allowing students to build their understanding progressively. This structured approach gives students a foundation to understand AI concepts, identify AI around them, think critically about its use and apply their learning to real-world situations.Shri Pulkit Khare, IAS, Mission Director, UPSDM, shared that government school students across Uttar Pradesh will participate in the AI Olympiad, giving them an opportunity to showcase their learning and compete at a national level. Through Project Praveen, an initiative of the Uttar Pradesh Government, students are already being introduced to AI concepts and skills, making their participation in the Olympiad a natural extension of their learning journey.
Praveen Gadelli, Co-Founder & Director, STEMLearn.AI said:
“AI education needs to go beyond teaching students how to use AI tools. It is about building the understanding, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that enable young learners to question, experiment and create with technology. The support of leading government and academic institutions reflects how AI is rapidly becoming an essential skill for the future. These associations give us the confidence and reach to take the AI Olympiad to a much larger scale and bring AI literacy to students across India. ”
Vivek Varshney, Founder & CEO, STEMLearn.AI, said:
“AI is already becoming an integral part of how students learn, communicate and interact with the world. Yet, for many young learners, AI remains limited to the tools they use, without a deeper understanding of how the technology works or how it can be applied responsibly. Last year, we reached over 10,000 students across 200+ schools, reinforcing the growing interest in building AI awareness among young learners. With AI Olympiad 2026, our objective is to create a structured pathway to AI literacy from an early age. We want students to move from simply using AI to understanding it, questioning it and eventually building with it. Our larger vision is to make AI education accessible and help create a generation that is confident and equipped to shape an AI-first future.”
Prof. Mandar Karyakarte, Registrar, IIIT Allahabad, said:
“The GLF AI Olympiad can play an important role in connecting school education with higher education in Artificial Intelligence. At present, there is no formal, structured curriculum for AI and Robotics across different grades in school education. An initiative like the AI Olympiad can create a framework that helps define what students should learn at each stage of their education and establish clear learning targets for different grades. This will provide direction to schools, students and educators and help young learners build their AI knowledge progressively. The Olympiad can also create a growing demand for teacher training across schools, strengthening the ecosystem required to deliver AI education effectively. By helping define a structured framework and learning outcomes, the AI Olympiad can contribute towards bridging the gap in formal AI education and preparing students for their future learning and careers.”
Prof. Arvind Shaligram, CEO of Research Park Foundation, SPPU Pune, said:
“Knowledge is expanding at an unprecedented pace, and Artificial Intelligence is emerging as one of the fastest-growing areas of technology. We cannot afford to wait until students reach universities to begin their AI learning journey. School students have the ability to learn and adapt to these technologies much earlier, and with the right exposure, they can actively contribute to an AI-driven future. This makes it increasingly important to introduce AI education at the school level while creating stronger participation from universities in AI-driven initiatives. Initiatives such as the GLF AI Olympiad can help build this connection between schools and higher education, enabling students to develop AI capabilities early and creating a stronger foundation for India’s future AI ecosystem.”
This also creates a pathway from learning AI to building with AI, with top-performing students getting an opportunity to participate in SparkX – The National Innovation Challenge at Techfest, IIT Bombay, where they can develop and showcase AI-led solutions to real-world problems. Other leading institutions, including Flora Institute of Technology, Indala College of Engineering, Bedekar Group of Institutes, PVG Group of Institutes and Bal Bharati Public School, also embraced the launch and expressed their intent to encourage greater participation from students across their respective institutions and networks.
The Olympiad will be conducted through participating schools, with students receiving performance reports, rankings and certificates, along with opportunities for recognition and further innovation exposure. Through AI Olympiad 2026, Global Learning Foundation aims to make AI learning more structured and accessible, helping students progress from understanding AI to applying it and ultimately creating with it. Registrations will open from 15th September 2026 through theGLF Academy website. Schools can also reach out at info@glfacademy.org for enquiries.