Intel Corporation today kicked off an artificial intelligence (AI) Kaggle competition focused on cervical cancer screening. First announced at Intel AI Day last fall, the competition with MobileODT challenges Kagglers to develop an algorithm that accurately identifies a woman’s cervix type based on images. The identification can help prevent ineffectual treatments and allow health care providers to offer proper referrals for cases requiring more advanced treatment.

The competition is part of Intel’s strategy for enabling state-of-the-art AI in the industry by working, among other ways, to make AI training and tools broadly accessible to developers through the Intel® Nervana™ AI Academy.

Registration for the competition begins at 12 p.m. PDT today. The entry deadline is June 14. The prize pool totals $100,000 for the top-three finishers, including $50,000 for the first-place competitor. Additionally, a $20,000 special prize will be awarded to the competitor with the Best Intel Tools Usage. See the official registration site for complete rules.

“We aim to challenge developers, data scientists and students to develop AI algorithms to help solve real-world challenges in industries including medical and health care,” said Doug Fisher, senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Services Group at Intel. “It is inspiring to see how MobileODT’s breakthrough optical diagnostic devices and software services, combined with Intel-based AI that Kagglers develop through this competition, will greatly improve MobileODT’s quality assurance workflow. This will aid the ability to make real-time determinations on treatment, and provide a first-line response to women around the world to help detect cervical cancer early.”