Human Coder Triumphs Over OpenAI in 10-Hour AtCoder Showdown
Shortly after the event, Dębiak took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), posting: 'I'm completely exhausted. ... I'm barely alive. Humanity has prevailed (for now!).'
Dębiak, who once worked for OpenAI himself, rose above exhaustion and intense competition to score a staggering 1,812,272,558,909 points, edging out the AI entrant 'OpenAIAHC,' which scored 1,654,675,725,406 — just 9.5% behind. The remaining ten human finalists, all top-tier programmers selected through a year-long ranking process, couldn't match the pace of either.
Held in Tokyo by the renowned Japanese platform AtCoder, this year's finals featured an unprecedented 'Humans vs AI' special event. The programming community watched closely as twelve of the world's top coders took on a sophisticated AI designed by OpenAI — the same company behind ChatGPT. The stakes were high, not just in terms of points, but in what the outcome would symbolise in the ongoing conversation around human versus machine capabilities.
The format of the event was intentionally designed to push limits. Spanning 600 minutes, the competition involved solving an extremely complex optimization puzzle — a hallmark of the Heuristic Contest category. These types of challenges are famously hard, often requiring approximate or creative solutions under time pressure. To ensure fairness, all participants — human and AI — operated on identical hardware. Submissions were spaced out by a mandatory five-minute cooldown.
While the AI system outperformed the rest of the human participants, the fact that Dębiak bested the machine has quickly become a symbolic victory — a testament to human resilience in the age of automation.
Even OpenAI acknowledged the significance. In a public statement, the company wrote: 'Our model took 2nd place at the AtCoder Heuristics World Finals! Congrats to the champion for holding us off this time.'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman added his voice with a brief but pointed message: 'Good job psyho.'
Dębiak's win is not only a personal milestone but a reminder that human creativity and grit remain highly relevant — especially in arenas dominated by logic, speed, and algorithmic prowess. The result has sparked fresh reflection on how AI and humans will coexist in technical professions going forward.
As AI tools continue to advance and close the gap, many wonder how long humans can hold their lead. Yet for now, the scoreboard — and perhaps something more — remains in favour of humanity.
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