The national stage of the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence championship has concluded in Warsaw. First place went to a team that included researchers from the Software Engineering Division at NCBJ. This victory qualifies them for the grand final at European level.

Last weekend saw the latest national stage of the CISPA European AI & Cybersecurity Hackathon Championship. Students, enthusiasts and IT industry experts gathered in Warsaw to compete for a place in the grand final, which brings together the best teams from across Europe.

In just 24 hours, the teams had to solve three tasks inspired by real-world research problems. The challenges required an understanding of the impact of training datasets on artificial intelligence models, methods of reconstructing information, and the interpretation of data processed by AI. Out of nearly 100 participants, the team that performed best consisted of Michał Obara and Aleksander Ogonowski from the Software Engineering Division of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), and Mateusz Kowalczyk and Aleksander Szymczyk from the Research and Academic Computer Network – National Research Institute. First place guarantees qualification for the grand final of the Championship, which will take place at CISPA’s headquarters in Germany.

The competition is organised by CISPA Helmholtz Centre for Information Security – one of Europe’s leading institutes specialising in cybersecurity and AI. The initiative aims to promote young talent and highlight the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the field of cybersecurity. The involvement of young researchers from across Europe will help build a community of experts who will shape the future of digital security, already crucial to many areas of our lives.

Congratulations on your victory and good luck in the grand final!