There’s just over two weeks until the early bird deadline to register for the Artificial Intelligence XPRIZE Competition.

Designed to encourage AI experts to apply their skills to solve a grand challenge, the $5 million AI XPRIZE competition has extended the registration dates to 15 November 2016 for the Early Bird ($500) registration and 15 January 2017 for the final registration deadline.

The AI XPRIZE competition was announced in June this year as an open AI challenge. Rather than set a single, universal goal, the competition invites teams to each create their own goal: an application of AI to a grand challenge.

A grand challenge is one of the most significant problems currently facing humanity. If it is not addressed, there will be significant negative consequences including loss of life, reduction in health, lack of access, lack of well-being, lack of education, environmental degradation or inequality.

Thus, addressing or even solving a grand challenge should have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people or other living beings. Where teams might not directly address a grand challenge, they are highly encouraged to solve meaningful problems that would contribute to addressing a grand challenge.

Once the competition begins, teams should use their best available resources, along with the expert-sourced efforts of the professional AI and Engineering community, to develop a comprehensive Competition Plan. Each Team must demonstrate progress toward and achievement of that Plan over the course of a three-year competition culminating in a Grand Prize Competition on the TED 2020 stage in front of a live in-person/online audience. A panel of expert Judges and the audience will crown a Grand Prize Winner and determine the rank of the runners up from the three finalists.

Teams will compete for significant prize money: A Grand Prize of $3 million goes to the winning team followed by $1 million for 2nd Place and $500,000 for 3rd Place. An additional $500,000 will be awarded in a combination of Milestone Prizes and Special Prizes throughout the course of the competition program at the discretion of the Judges.

For more information or to register to compete, visit: http://ai.xprize.org/