Imagine Cup Junior 2023 (ICJ) is an annual global competition organized by Microsoft for students aged 13 to 18 focused on using AI technology to solve global problems and compete with contestants from around the world.

Leveraging ICJ, teachers use lessons compiled by Microsoft to provide students with information and broaden their knowledge on AI technology. Students will then form groups and apply what they have learned to find solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.  ICJ also provides an opportunity for deeper learning to students who want to pursue a career in technology or work towards Microsoft Fundamentals industry-recognized certification.

This year's ICJ competition has been the most intense so far with participation from more than 100 countries. The judges from across the industry and around the world were impressed by the ideas of this year's teams, especially by the teenagers’ aptitude in using technology, Microsoft's curriculum, and their continued curiosity to learn about cutting-edge AI tools.

On June 8, 2023, Microsoft announced the 10 global winners for Imagine Cup Junior 2023, in which the GOATS team excellently claimed a spot on behalf of Vietnam with their intelligent lighting system based on AI technology.

In the face of the electricity shortage widespread in many developing countries including Vietnam, severely affecting people's lives and the country’s economic growth, 5 11th graders from Hanoi - Amsterdam High School, including Le Kien Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Bao Han, Chu Quynh Nhi, Pham Thai Phuong (11 English 1), and Tran Phu Thanh (11 IT 1), under the guidance of teacher Nguyen Thanh Tung, proposed the application of IntelliGlow, a smart lighting system designed and controlled by intelligent lighting, which ensures optimal performance (minimizing power consumption while maintaining adequate lighting) and visual health.

With an easy-to-use app, IntelliGlow allows its users to easily control and customize lighting settings. Suitable for a variety of environments, IntelliGlow is a quality solution that saves energy and protects users' vision, and is thus the ideal choice for individuals as well as groups of people interested in reducing their carbon footprint and maintaining their health. 

On the meaning of the team's name, Pham Thai Phuong said the team decided to choose Greenest-Of-All-Time-s (G.O.A.T.s), a clever pun on the widely popular acronym G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) to emphasize the importance of protecting the environment.

“Throughout the development process for the product and the intensely competitive atmosphere, we have discovered a wealth of knowledge on how to turn AI into valuable and practical inventions. We have also had the opportunity to hone our research skills and come up with innovative technological ideas to solve global problems. What is more, our ability to cooperate and communicate has greatly improved during ICJ, and we had a really fun time working together. We very much look forward to continuing to develop ourselves in the future and become people who can contribute to and exert a positive influence on society,” said Pham Thai Phuong.

10 winning teams at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior 2023

Together with GOATS (Vietnam) with IntelliGlow solution - a smart lighting system that reduces electricity consumption while maintaining sufficient light - the other top 9 winners in this year's Imagine Cup Junior global competition are listed below in alphabetical order:

- AI for Memory Loss, Ireland: AI for Memory Loss is an app that uses Azure Cognitive Services to help people with dementia navigate through their daily lives.

- Data Dynamos, India: Cancerscope is an AI app that creates a predictive model to find the probability of cancer in a person and recommend preventive measures.

- TA Cubed, Australia: TA Cubed is an AI interactive mobile application that provides resources and techniques designed to relieve anxiety disorders and address mental health for children and teenagers.

- Frontiers, China: AI for Analyzing the Completeness of Damaged Cultural Relics is an AI-driven cultural relic generator app that creates complete images and 3D models of damaged relics, assesses the condition of artifacts, and prioritizes restoration projects.

- FoodPrintBot, Singapore: FoodPrintBot is a multimodal bot that can detect food waste, encourage people to donate food based on the amount of waste, and provide advice on how to reduce food waste in the future.

- Hacktivists of Wall Street, United States: Educate AI is an education tool that makes learning easy for anyone, including those with learning disabilities or those who cannot afford private tutors, by creating notes and quizzes from any video in any language.

- Rehabity, United Arab Emirates: Rehabity is an AI skin-applied patch and app that helps people recover from addiction.

- Shiny Stars, Saudi Arabia: Smart chip for aphasia patients is a smart chip that connects to a smartphone application, compatible with all spoken and written international human languages, and allows communication between aphasia patients and other people by translating it into readable or audible text.

- SoySquad, United Kingdom: StreetSmarts is an AI app that displays the safest route for pedestrians allowing for easy and safe navigation of busy streets around London and application for cities of the world.

According to news.microsoft.com

Translator: Trần Lê Tuệ Anh - English 1 2225