Over the years, Rumen has been part of the national team of Bulgaria in informatics. He is seventh in the Hall of Fame of the IOI (International Olympiad in Informatics) – an outstanding achievement for the country. Rumen is a long-time participant in the international programming competition CodeIT, in 2012 he is a winner, and in the 2020/2021 season he gives a special lecture as an IT guru at the final of the competition.

Rumen Hristov was also elected in Forbes 30 Under 30 in the United States for his work on remote health monitoring.

Rumen tells DevStyleR more about the challenges he faces in the vast technological world. He also reveals what are the qualities needed for success not only in competitions and Olympiads, but also in life. He also shares with us his enjoyable experiences in one of the oldest competitions in the world – CodeIT and what it feels like to be part of the Forbes 30 under 30 in the US. You will read all this and many more interesting topics in our interview.

You are 7th in the Hall of Fame of the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). What are the qualities that make up a successful IT competitor?

Competitions in Informatics were an extremely important part for me and opened many doors in my life. Thanks to them, I was able to meet different people, learn new things, visit many countries, and they were the main reason I was accepted into MIT.

Although in the last 7-8 years I have not participated in any competitions, I can still distinguish many of the qualities I have learned from them. They made me a better programmer, taught me to think creatively and quickly. The Olympiads in Informatics developed my competitive spirit and taught me to motivate myself to always look for improvement in me.

In 2012 you are the winner at CodeIT, and in 2020/2021 you are again part of the competition, this time as an IT guru. Tell us about your experiences as a competitor and then as a guru.

Being an IT guru was an amazing experience. I was always happy when I had the opportunity to go back and be able to help the competitors, because I too had received a lot of help when I was on the other side of things.

The President of Bulgaria attended the award ceremony, as in most years and this fact always distinguishes CodeIT.

What is your message to CodeIT competitors?

Continue to look for every challenge and participate in as many competitions as possible, especially in school years. Then, unfortunately the race time decreases, so you should take advantage as much as possible when it’s time for that.

You complete your bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Together with prof. Dina Katabi you’re working on building an IoT system for a wireless sensor device. What inspired you to start working on such a project?

My goal was to work on an innovative project that is practical to become a community product. Professor Katabi’s group is working on wireless technologies and when I first appeared in the lab, it was in the initial steps on the project that became our company: Emerald Innovations.

The road was very difficult, and we had to solve many technical problems, as well as find the right business plan. After a few years at the university, we made sure that there was a business interest in what we do and for 3-4 years we have been working fully on our company.

You are part of the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the US for your work on remote health monitoring. How does it feel to prove yourself and be recognized in one of the most developed technological countries and what is the formula of success?

The formula of success is always focused on difficult problems. I knew that Professor Katabi’s group was one of those who worked the most hours at MIT and often spent late nights in the laboratory. This is what motivated me to work on this project and subsequently had its advantages and brought several awards.

What advice would you give to those who are just entering the tech world?

The technological world is a special field. Things change often, and people must adapt quickly. Success is often associated with spending many hours in front of a screen, so it is advisable to combine it with frequent hours without screens.

More from CodeIT:
Dusko Obradovic: A united IT Community in the Balkans – a Mission for Life
The CodeIT 2024 Team for the Competition and the Journey into the World of Programming

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Microsoft President Brad Smith will join G42’s board of directors. The investment expands the existing partnership between the two companies, and with this investment Microsoft will acquire a minority stake.

G42 will leverage its artificial intelligence applications and services in Microsoft Azure as well as deploy Microsoft’s cloud offerings.

G42 operates data centers and sells artificial intelligence applications. The company has developed an Arabic model for large languages called Jais, which will be available through Azure.

According to sources, the deal Microsoft is making with G42 is unusual. However, the company says the commercial partnership is “backed by assurances to the US and UAE governments through a first-of-its-kind binding agreement to implement world-class best practices to ensure secure, reliable and responsible AI development and deployment”.

G42 Chairman Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahya is also the UAE’s national security adviser.

The government’s involvement comes after months of scrutiny of G42 for its links to China. A few months ago, Mike Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. Special Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, urged the Commerce Department to “scrutinize” G42 to see if it should be blacklisted for commercial exports.

Gallagher alleged that G42 maintains ties to blacklisted Chinese firms, such as Huawei, and that it works with Chinese military and intelligence services.

Yet when these accusations came out, however, G42 flatly denied them and even reportedly invested in Chinese firms itself, including TikTok owner ByteDance.

In its lawsuit, the US Department of Justice alleges that Apple is abusing its control of the iPhone app store to keep its users.

Furthermore, it gives the impression that the company is making its competitors’ products less available and appear less attractive to consumers.

Apple denies all accusations. This case is becoming one of the most serious problems facing the company. Complaints against its practices have increased in recent years.

The complaint alleges that Apple uses a series of policies to restrict access to its hardware and software. The company is said to be focusing on increasing its income by increasing prices for its customers and is trying to prevent its competitors from innovating.

“Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits but by violating federal anti-trust law”. “Customers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the law.” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference announcing the suit.

The complaint lists 5 areas that the US Department of Justice says the company is infringing.

According to the US, Apple is preventing the development of super apps and streaming apps because it fears that they will drive users away from their need for the iPhone.

In addition, the lawsuit alleges that the tech giant prevents syncing between iPhones and smartwatches made by competing companies.

Additionally, the complaint describes Apple not allowing banks or financial companies to access iPhone payment technology. This action provides revenue for the company, which earns billions in fees for processing transactions through Apple Pay.

Apple, for its part, says that according to American law, the company is free to choose which business partners to cooperate with. The tech giant says its rules have been tweaked for security and privacy reasons.

“We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it,” the company announced.

Apple representatives announce that they will fight to have the court dismiss the complaint.

Since 1991, Obradovic has been working at Sombor Gymnasium, except for a brief period from 1993 to 1997 when he worked as a programmer in a software company. He has a strong focus on competitive algorithmic programming, achieving significant success with his students. Several of his former students now work for renowned companies like Microsoft and Nordeus.

His accolades include leading his school team to victory in the High School Programming League 2012/13 and consistently participating in all 15 Microsoft “Bubble Cup” Finals. Obradovic has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to education, receiving prestigious awards such as the “Svetosavska nagrada” from the Serbian Minister of Education and the “Charter of the City” from Sombor.

Despite his programming achievements, Obradovic also prioritizes outdoor activities. For the past 18 years, he has organized nature expeditions for his students, involving canoeing, mountain climbing, and wilderness camping, covering over 1000 km per season. Additionally, Obradovic participates annually in the international programming competition CodeIT, where he not only guides his students but also competes alongside them, showcasing his dedication to both their development and his own continuous learning.

With a strong commitment to both programming and outdoor education, Obradovic continues to inspire and lead his students, fostering their talents in various domains.

For DevStyleR, the man who learned to code without a computer – Dusko Obradovic shares more about the importance of programming in his life, reveals to us the secret of a successful and beloved leader, and what it feels like to stand next to his students during CodeIT.

What does programming mean to you and how did your love for it develop?

At first, programming was just my job. Fortunately1, my programming career lasted for only 3 years. I had been working in a firm which made programs for accounting, and those challenges faded very quickly. For the following 3 years, I was working in Hungary as an entrepreneur in retail. Since 1998 until today I have been working in Grammar School in Sombor as an IT teacher. Ever since then, for me programming is pure pleasure.

You mentioned that you learned to program without a computer. How is that possible?

I suppose that today it would be very difficult. Almost impossible. Not because today’s children couldn’t do it, but because today’s technology makes the process of learning programming easier. At that time, there was no other way. I wrote my first program on a programmable calculator after 15 months of learning from a notebook and a board. I wrote my first program on a computer after 2,5 years, in 1984 in PASCAL on Honeywell. Soon after that, the first personal computers appeared on my faculty, but we didn’t have access like today – one or two times a week, for a few hours, mostly at night. There was no internet for us, mere mortal students.

The school team you lead in Serbia is the only one in the world that has participated in all 16 finals of the Microsoft “Bubble Cup”. How do you achieve such success?

We could say that at the beginning it was just a lucky set of circumstances, which in time grew into something inevitable. Experiences of older teams and their stories year after year inspire new generations to take part in qualification competitions. In the past 8 years, CodeIT qualifications have had the same priority with us as well.

These two competitions, and especially the marathons assignments, are priceless in the process of my students’ advance. Knowing that they have 20 days to solve the problem makes most of them to learn new algorithms and structures in that period so that they would make their placement better.

The fact that you don’t have to catch the beginning of the competition, that even less efficient solutions are also valued and the lack of time penalties all brought to the fact that longer qualification rounds are more popular in my school than the sprint rounds. Even if we put aside those who are satisfied with even getting a shirt, we can say that the fever of CodeIT and Bubble Cup is always present in our school.

You have received numerous awards in Serbia, including the “Svetosavskа Award” and the “Povelja grada”.

Both awards are not just the product of success in programming. Over a month which I spend in nature with my students has equally contributed, if not even more, to receiving those awards. I divide my year into programming season: from the finals of Bubble Cup at the end of September, over winter and spring, until the end of the finals of CodeIT at the beginning of June; and on the adventurous season: during the summer. This other includes camping, fishing and ecological-rowing expeditions. During those, we compensate nine months of cyberspace with the life in a complete natural environment without any comfort.

What is the secret to building a cohesive community that competes among itself in various competitions?

Today’s way of life, which is considered as a contemporary value, and extreme influence of mass media led to the fact that in Serbia there are no more colleagues ready to do something like that. As far as I know, it is similar in Bulgaria as well.
The other reasons are, that those who have the knowledge to pass on to new generations will rather work somewhere else for 2000+ EUR instead for 750EUR, which is the salary for teachers in Serbia.

I wouldn’t call my way of work a secret.

• – With my students I don’t have a typical teacher – student relationship. We are all pals, and in many programming competitions and on CodeIT in finals we compete against each other. (This does not apply when I have to mark them).
• Experiences of earlier generations from their faculties and jobs in IT companies, through the students themselves, their friends and relatives in one small town are easily spread, so many elementary school pupils are coming to my extra classes even before they enroll Grammar School.
• My extra-curricular classes are open to students from other schools as well.
• There are no divisions on gender, classes, religions… so, except on competitions, you can always count on help of those who are around you.
• Many of those students enjoy the natural beauties of Serbia with me, next to some water during a big part of summer in the adventurous season.
• In the programming season I do about 5 hours of extra-curricular classes a week. On the contrary to other professions in Serbia, doing extra hours in teaching is not paid.

How do you prepare students for Olympiads and competitions, and what is the best advice you give them before each event?

Before competitions in our country there is a list of advice that competitors should acquire. That list was based on hundreds of points that previous students had lost on their competitions, and that led to a difference in points on their expense.
Choice of the adequate type of data structures and their sizes.
Obligatory winning the partial points, if there are some.
Narrowing down of the possible ways of solving the tasks based on given limitations.
And many more…

Nemanja Majski is my only student who has achieved this so far. And for more than a year he has been working alone and going to Belgrade at weekends, where he and a few more students have been prepared for the international competitions. This, of course, makes me proud.

Talent or hard work – which one is the key to success?

It depends on what you consider a success. If success is getting a job in an IT company, it doesn’t matter. If the aim is to work in a better firm with a bigger salary, it is possible to achieve with less talent and much work or vice versa.

If success is reaching a level where you can choose where you want to work, you need both talent and a lot and a lot of work.

Now that you have mentioned this, I have to say that it is a big pity that in our two countries a good system doesn’t exist. It all depends on the individual. There are talented children everywhere. The proof for that are not so big towns like Sombor (SRB) and Shumen (BG). Whether they will be found and start their way in which their talent will be fully used, depends on luck as well. You should be born in a town like this or its surrounding at the time when there live enthusiasts who put long-term strategic aims in front of their own personal material ones.

You have been competing alongside your students at CodeIT for years. What do you feel and think when you stand next to them during a competition?

Since the codes are public after the competition, I cannot hide the ways I approach solving of the marathon tasks. Honestly, that is not my aim at all. But during earlier competitions that was my advantage. Tempo in which I type and test, comparing to my students, is certainly my handicap. Even reading the text of the task takes a considerable amount of my time. I still manage to compensate that by experience, but it is getting more and more difficult. It happens more and more often that one or even more of them beat me on the same competition. The last sprint round on CodeIT was a disaster for me. I didn’t manage to solve not one task in given time. My ages are getting me. Luckily, I have no problem with the fact that my students are beating me.

What advice would you give to future participants in CodeIT?

The first piece of advice is to be persistent and patient. I have recently tickled the CodeIT officials to, besides presentation of the Great Guru, organize one of the little Guru, i.e. me, where I would, at least to younger participants, convey a few very useful pieces of advice when solving marathon tasks. If they get lucky and that really happens, in future their results in marathon tasks will certainly be better.

Besides this, play computer games less. That is a waste of time and you have no use from it, but a current satisfaction. Successfully finished combat with the solving of a programming problem can give you a similar feeling, with the difference that this will definitely help you in your future profession.

Bard debuted in the tech world in the spring of 2023 with the idea of being a direct competition to ChatGPT, but it didn’t appeal to many users and failed to achieve the success of the model created by OpenAI.

In December, the company shared that a new large language model (LLM) was on its way out, called Gemini Ultra. The new language model is expected to be released this year and will power the Bard Advanced chatbot.

Developer Dylan Russell posted screenshots of Google’s code on X that describe Bard Advanced as “a more capable big language model with advanced math and reasoning skills.”

hi, bard advanced will be free for 3 months and you'll need Google One too, enjoysies

the fact that it's in prod implies it's ready & being tested (currently an experiment)

again, not a leaker, but Google keeps putting stuff in plain sight and literally nobody realizes… pic.twitter.com/YqfAK77f0F

— Bedros Pamboukian (@bedros_p) January 3, 2024

Another piece of code points to a tool called “Motoko” that will seemingly enable users to create their own chatbots.

The code also suggests that users will need to subscribe to Google One, the company’s cloud storage program, to access Bard Advanced.

Google has not yet confirmed Bard Advanced.

Amazon’s decision to create a business chatbot is actually the answer the company is giving to competitors who have released chatbots that have caught the attention of the public.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT continues to generate a lot of public and business interest in AI-generating tools that can write emails, marketing messages, essays and other human-like text. This attention initially gave an edge to OpenAI’s main partner and financial sponsor, Microsoft, which has the rights to the underlying technology behind ChatGPT and is using it to create its own AI-generating tools, known as Copilot.

But it has also prompted competitors such as Google to release their own versions.

Amazon said Q will be able to synthesize content as well as streamline daily communications and assist employees with tasks.

Companies will have the option to integrate Q with their proprietary data and systems, enabling them to enjoy a personalized experience that is more pertinent. The technology is currently accessible for preview.

And although Amazon is the dominant cloud computing provider, the company is not yet seen as a leader in AI research.

A recent Stanford University index that measured the transparency of the 10 major AI models, including Amazon’s Titan, ranked Amazon last.

One of the most important updates is early access to Unity Muse, an AI-powered suite designed to simplify content creation for game developers.

Muse offers features like Muse Chat, which allows developers to get answers and resources in Unity and receive usable code. Additionally, Muse Sprite generates 2D sprites and multiple variations, and Muse Texture creates high-quality 2D and 3D ready textures. These features are powered by a purpose-built deep learning model that ensures data integrity.

Unity Muse is in the early access phase, while Unity Sentis, designed for seamlessly integrating intricate AI data models into Unity Runtime, is currently in open beta. The official release for Unity Sentis is anticipated to coincide with the launch of Unity 6 in 2024.

Scheduled for 2024, Unity 6 represents the next significant software release, pledging notable improvements in visual quality coupled with substantial performance boosts. Additionally, it promises an expedited process for creating multiplayer games and heightened support for artificial intelligence. Unity’s overarching goal is to empower developers to explore new frontiers by leveraging enhanced mobile functionalities and cutting-edge support for virtual reality devices.

Unity has underscored its backing for Apple Vision Pro through the unveiling of PolySpatial. Unity is initiating the beta program for its visionOS, which encompasses access to Unity PolySpatial. This program is available for Unity Pro, Enterprise, and Industry subscribers, facilitating the development of spatial applications tailored for Apple Vision Pro.

Despite the leadership transition, Unity is resolute in its commitment to ongoing projects and initiatives. As Unity hopes to put a tumultuous period behind it, the announcements this week signify the start of a new chapter and rebuilding of relations with game developers.

Now Assist in Virtual Agent is a feature that allows users to create and deploy their own chatbots. ServiceNow has added support for Q&A in Knowledge Management and multi-turn conversations that allow customers to provide additional context within the chat.

“Our customers are facing increasingly complex and competitive dynamics across industries and AI holds the key to enabling faster execution, smarter decision making, and greater business agility. ServiceNow is leading the charge, by intelligently integrating generative AI into the core of the Now Platform and enabling organizations to harness AI securely and confidently to drive unprecedented speed to value for their business”, said CJ Desai, president and chief operating officer of ServiceNow.

Another update is flow generation, which generates workflow blueprints. It can generate them from plain text and automatically convert them into the proper workflows. Developers can later make adjustments to those workflows using App Engine’s no-code interface.

The final update is the release of Now Assist for Field Service Management, which is designed specifically for field service teams. It uses generative AI on activity, parts, and incidental data to help summarize work order tasks.

Since 2007 CodeIT is held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria – Rumen Radev with the support of numerous business and academic partners dedicated to the mission of supporting IT talents in the country and around the world.

The patrons of the first round are prof. Anastas Gerdzhikov, Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Kliment Ohridski”; Prof. Maya Stoyanova, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Dr. Antoan Tonev, Director of SMG “Paisii Hilendarski”.

All participants with a non-zero result will receive a prize – a T-shirt with the vision of the new season, and five participants in each of the 6 rounds will receive additional prizes on a draw provided by the sponsors – Cougar Gaming and Prestigio, as well as a special CodeIT sweatshirt.

Media partners of the competition are DevStyleR and B2B Media.

As per the White House’s official statement, this EO sets forth groundbreaking measures to enhance the safety and security of AI technology, safeguard the privacy of American citizens, foster fairness and civil rights, advocate for the interests of consumers and workers, encourage innovation and healthy competition, and bolster the United States’ global leadership in this pivotal field.

The Executive Order details a comprehensive framework that outlines the establishment of new standards and best practices intended to guarantee the safety and security of AI, which includes:

• Requiring developers of AI systems to share safety test results with the government
• Establishing standards, tools, and tests to ensure safety, security, and trustworthiness of AI systems
• Making new standards for biological synthesis screening to prevent AI from being used to create dangerous biological materials
• Creating guidance and best practices for detecting AI-generated content
• Setting up a security program to develop tools that find and fix vulnerabilities using AI
• Developing a National Security Memorandum to guide the direction of further actions on AI and security

Within the EO, President Biden has taken a proactive stance in safeguarding the privacy of American citizens, recognizing the heightened vulnerability of personal data extraction and exploitation in the age of AI. To address these concerns, he is urging Congress to enact data privacy legislation that addresses these pressing issues. Furthermore, he underscores the need for intensified research into privacy-preserving technologies.

To facilitate this research endeavor, President Biden has not only established but also allocated funding for a Research Coordination Network.

In alignment with this comprehensive approach, the EO outlines an intent to evaluate the data collection and utilization practices within government agencies. The goal is to strengthen privacy guidelines for these agencies, further enhancing data protection for citizens.

Moreover, the initiative places a strong emphasis on promoting equity and civil rights in the context of AI. The EO underscores the potential for irresponsible AI usage to exacerbate discrimination, bias, and other injustices within sectors such as justice, healthcare, and housing.

“America already leads in AI innovation—more AI startups raised first-time capital in the United States last year than in the next seven countries combined. The Executive Order ensures that we continue to lead the way in innovation and competition,” the Biden/Harris administration wrote in the EO.

This initiative will establish a multifaceted approach, including the development of a resource tool to grant AI researchers access to essential AI resources and data. This include technical support to small startups and entrepreneurs seeking to bring AI innovations to the commercial market. In addition, the initiative aims to streamline and modernize visa criteria, interviews, and reviews, with a specific focus on broadening opportunities for skilled immigrants engaged in the field of AI technology.

Several AI experts have weighed in on the new executive order.

“We firmly believe in the need to protect AI equivalent to the immense value it can deliver. In order to build and ship AI that is secure and trusted, organizations must rigorously test (“red team”) their AI and understand the total composition of elements used to create that AI, said Ian Swanson, CEO of Protect AI and former head of AI at Amazon.

Nadia Gonzalez, chief marketing officer at Scibids, a company that combines AI and advertising campaigns, believes that the Executive Order is encouraging. It signals that the White House is taking AI seriously and is “moving us away from the patchwork approach that has so far occurred at a state-by-state level,” she said. “AI has the potential to drastically improve how governments operate, protect privacy at large, and promote innovation, but care must be taken to ensure that the regulations go far enough.”

“This executive order from the Biden administration – while directed at federal organizations – follows similar plans by other countries and the EU and is an important step towards ensuring responsible AI use. It will force many organizations to reevaluate their own processes and how they ethically leverage the technology”, added Michael Berthold, CEO of data analysis company KNIME.

In a significant development, the administration is set to provide comprehensive guidance to government agencies on effectively collaborating with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This guidance will encompass facilitating the procurement of AI products and services, as well as expediting the recruitment of AI professionals within the government ranks.