Balazs’ STEM journey began at age eight in math. Then his father handed him an introductory book on computer science, opening his eyes to new possibilities. From that small spark, he became a voracious reader of programming books and gradually built his skills until he reached the IOI. Yet, he never abandoned math and dreams of connecting theory and technology, aiming to shape AI systems. Balazs shares details about his work on AI this summer, how he connected his love for chess to programming, and the mentors who helped guide him.

We caught up before he started university (interview edited for length and clarity):