A software start-up is in the running in an international mobile app challenge to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

BrightMinded, based in Brighton, has made the top 25 of the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge.

The firm is developing a fitness app using Watson – a cognitive technology that processes infor- mation more like a human than a computer, by understanding natural language, generating hypotheses based on evidence and learning as it goes.

The app will use Watson to learn about users’ daily data, medical research and fitness research to work out what is best for the individual in terms of metabolism, physique and hormonal profile.

It will change its recommenda- tion, such as the best supplements, as training progresses to maximize results.

As more users enter their data, Watson will find statistical similarities and improve its hypotheses and recommendations.

IBM received hundreds of entries, and out of 25 finalists just five will present their proposals.

Three winners will be awarded 90 days of access to the Watson APIs (application programming interfaces) and consulting from IBM Interactive design services.

BrightMinded was founded by three artificial intelligence masters graduates from the University of Sussex.

Marketing manager Jos van der Steen said: “All our developers have a background in artificial intelligence themselves, so it will be a really interesting way of looking at what’s going on in the artificial intelligence scene and get to grips with Watson, which is the most intelligent artificial intelligence out there.

“Watson is used a lot in medical research to help cancer patients with brain tumours, because it can understand genetic datasets and create personal treatments.

“There’s lots of fitness apps out there but none that provides the up-to-date feedback that we want to give.”

The shortlist of five will be announced on May 22.