Youngest MBZUAI student sets sights on AI superintelligence at just 17

Brandon-Jason Adebayo is the youngest student ever accepted to Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), yet his ambition and mindset reach far beyond his years. 

He celebrated his 17th birthday shortly after arriving in Abu Dhabi and admits he used artificial intelligence (AI) to find the degree he wanted. 

“I used ChatGPT to find the course,” says the Bachelor of Science in AI (Engineering) student. “I wanted a specialized curriculum without adding any extra subjects that may not be necessary. Most schools don’t offer an AI course; they have a general computer science course. 

“Being fully AI, this (MBZUAI) is the best place for me and how I like to learn.” 

Too good to be true 

Born to a Ghanian mother and a Nigerian father, Adebayo has been mentored on the power of technology. His father owns a fintech company, and his brother is studying software engineering.  

Despite his age, he has already built a strong background in AI, algorithmic modeling, and public policy in AI ethics, with a passion for research, leadership, and social impact through technology. 

His mother initially thought the University’s full scholarship offer was a hoax until she attended the candidates weekend in Abu Dhabi and saw the Masdar City campus for herself. 

“She wanted to make sure it was real because everything was too good to be true,” he says. “Everyone in my family takes education very seriously.” 

Although he received offers from universities in the U.S., he chose to join MBZUAI’s inaugural undergraduate cohort.

Reasoning and the road to superintelligence 

Adebayo’s “lightning moment” for AI came when he watched robots from Boston Dynamics and saw the different personas powered by AI systems. As AI progresses toward general-purpose autonomy and emergent capabilities, he finds the pursuit of AI superintelligence (ASI) the most compelling and aligned with his personal development goals. 

He believes AI breakthroughs have plateaued in recent years but says institutions such as MBZUAI and individual sponsors – including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt, and Sam Altman – have an opportunity to “bridge the gap” to reach new levels of advancement. 

“We won’t get to superintelligence until we get to a stable point where the AI is able to think like a human being,” he says. “For us to get AI to think like an individual, we need greater reasoning. 

“Most people already depend on AI for reasoning, so it’s actually very difficult for us to get there as these tools have become counterintuitive.” 

Improving his own reasoning has become his personal focus. 

“Your brain is a muscle, and you’ve got to train it,” he says.  “We are training machines, and if we don’t get smarter, we might not make progress. 

“If I’m able to improve my reasoning as a human being, then it should be much easier for me to improve that of a computer system; to improve reasoning relative to the AI systems we create and will need in the future.” 

Hitting the ground running 

Adebayo is already adding to his growing list of accolades, recently taking home the AI Rising Star Award at the K2 Think Hackathon for his project, Arete.  

Arete is an AI performance training system which gives students a personal coach for their brain; it trains you on how to think, reason, and solve problems beyond just learning things. 

Before arriving at MBZUAI, he became the first gold medalist from his school in Accra at the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO). He also served on Ghana’s National Debate Team. 

In high school, he led major initiatives in sustainability and student engagement, co-founding the “10 for a Smile” philanthropy program to support local orphanages, and serving as student representative council (SRC) secretary despite being the youngest student in his year. 

On campus in Abu Dhabi, Adebayo says he finds the environment “calm” and ideal for learning. Between classes, he plays for the MBZUAI basketball team. 

A future witness to AI breakthroughs 

Advancing AI toward ASI could unlock massive benefits, and Adebayo’s long-term commitment to the field means he may witness, and contribute to, some of humanity’s most significant technological milestones. 

The University has already helped him establish a registered business for his innovative ideas, with the ultimate goal of launching a startup of his own. 

Adebayo joined MBZUAI through the exceptional talents track. Applications for the Bachelor of Science in AI program for fall 2026 are now open and close 30 April, 2026.