OpenAI has announced the launch of a large-scale international competition, the OpenAI to Z Challenge, in which participants – both professional archaeologists and enthusiasts – are invited to use the latest AI models to find unknown archaeological sites in the Amazon. Why is OpenAI doing this?
Participants must analyze open data: satellite images, lidar maps, archaeological publications, diaries of colonizers, oral maps of indigenous peoples and other sources to find signs of ancient settlements under the rainforest canopy.
Particular attention is paid to the territory of Brazil, but work is also permitted in adjacent areas of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and other countries of the Amazon basin.
We are in a golden age of archaeological discovery, with tools now available to the world – in a race against time as historic sites are threatened by looting, development and climate change.
Competition details
Task:
Find new archaeological sites or settlements, substantiate their existence using data analysis and AI, and propose new methods for processing large arrays of archaeological data
Deadlines: submission of works is open until June 29, 2025
Judging : Winners will be selected based on three criteria: archaeological significance of the discovery, creativity and depth of analysis, and reproducibility of results.
Prizes : Top teams will receive cash prizes (up to $250,000), opportunities to collaborate with archaeologists and scientists, and a chance to go on an expedition to verify their findings.
Useful information for those who want to take part is here.
Why OpenAI?
OpenAI not only advances its technology, but also drives scientific discovery by engaging the broader community in solving one of humanity’s most fascinating mysteries – the search for the lost civilizations of the Amazon.
Demonstration of AI capabilities
OpenAI wants to show how modern language and visual models can not only generate text, but also solve real scientific problems – in this case, help in finding and preserving cultural heritage Contribution to science and preservation of history: The Amazon is a region with a huge number of unsolved archaeological secrets, which is rapidly losing its monuments due to deforestation and development. AI can speed up the search for and protection of these objects
Expanding the range of users and application cases
OpenAI is interested in attracting new developers, researchers and enthusiasts to use its models in interdisciplinary tasks.
Popularization of AI for socially important tasks
The competition is positioned as an example of “AI for Good” – the use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of society, science and culture.
We are in a golden age of archaeological discovery, with tools now available to the world – in a race against time as historic sites are threatened by looting, development and climate change.