Humans beat AI gold-level score at top maths contest
Around 10 per cent of human contestants won gold-level medals, and five received perfect scores of 42 points.
SYDNEY - Humans beat generative artificial intelligence (AI) models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, despite the programmes reaching gold-level scores for the first time.
Neither model scored full marks – unlike five young people at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), a prestigious annual competition where participants must be under 20 years old.
Google said on July 21 that an advanced version of its Gemini chatbot had solved five out of the six maths problems set at the IMO, held in Australia's Queensland in July.
'We can confirm that Google DeepMind has reached the much-desired milestone, earning 35 out of a possible 42 points – a gold medal score,' the US tech giant cited IMO president Gregor Dolinar as saying.
'Their solutions were astonishing in many respects. IMO graders found them to be clear, precise and most of them easy to follow.'
Around 10 per cent of human contestants won gold-level medals, and five received perfect scores of 42 points.
US ChatGPT maker OpenAI said that its experimental reasoning model had scored a gold-level 35 points on the test.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can claim $600 SG60 vouchers from July 22
Singapore Miscalculation of MOH subsidies and grants led to $7m in overpayments, $2m in shortfalls
Singapore Singaporeans continue to hold world's most powerful passport
Asia Indonesia on high alert as dry weather fans forest, peatland fires in Sumatra
Singapore 2 charged over alleged role in posting bail for man who later absconded
Singapore Teen charged after allegedly selling vaporisers, advertising e-cigarettes on WhatsApp
Singapore 2,500 turtles seized in India and sent back to S'pore, put down humanely after salmonella detected
Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving
The result 'achieved a longstanding grand challenge in AI' at 'the world's most prestigious math competition', OpenAI researcher Alexander Wei wrote on social media.
Google achieved a silver-medal score at t he 2024 IMO in the British city of Bath, solving four of the six problems.
That took two to three days of computation – far longer than in 2025 , when its Gemini model solved the problems within the 4.5h time limit, it said.
The IMO said tech companies had 'privately tested closed-source AI models on the 2025 problems', the same ones faced by 641 competing students from 112 countries.
'It is very exciting to see progress in the mathematical capabilities of AI models,' said Professor Dolinar.
Contest organisers could not verify how much computing power had been used by the AI models or whether there had been human involvement, he cautioned. AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
The AI clones are coming! But it's not all bad
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Soon, only the wealthiest among us will have the privilege of speaking to human experts, while the rest consort with AI clones. For people who make money off their expertise, clones offer a route to scaling up their business. Mr Mark Sewards, a British Member of Parliament in the northern city of Leeds, recently launched what he called the country's first AI prototype of an MP. Cue the backlash. X users were the most vitriolic, calling Mr Sewards 'lazy' and branding the project 'appalling'. The press sneered at his 'weird' and 'dithering' chatbot, complaining it could not follow a Leeds accent.
New Paper
2 hours ago
- New Paper
Three foreigners arrested for working illegally as delivery riders: Koh Poh Koon
Three foreigners have been arrested for working illegally in Singapore after enforcement operations conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) checked over 370 delivery workers. In a Facebook post on Aug 18, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower, Koh Poh Koon said MOM conducted island-wide enforcement operations over the past few weeks. The operations were conducted based on complaints and feedback on hotspots from the National Delivery Champions Association's regular engagement with delivery workers, the post said. "Of the 375 delivery workers checked during our operations, three foreigners were arrested and under investigations for working illegally," said Mr Koh. He added that MOM is also investigating the locals who abetted these foreigners to undertake illegal delivery work. Foreigners who work in Singapore without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Local abettors who allow foreigners to use their accounts may face the same penalties, added Mr Koh. "These operations are essential to deter illegal platform work, even as the Platform Workers Trilateral Group develops its recommendations," he said. In July, a trilateral work group was formed following a call by the labour movement to tackle the issue of foreigners illegally doing delivery work here and impacting the earnings of local platform workers. The work group consists of MOM, Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) along with its affiliated associations. Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a Deliveroo spokesperson said Deliveroo takes a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorised account sharing. "All riders are required to provide valid documentation during onboarding to verify their right to work as a platform worker in Singapore and pass facial verification checks against their provided identification documents," said the firm. After this process, riders are subject to regular, and necessary, supplementary randomised facial recognition checks, the spokesperson said. A check by ST on online marketplace Carousell on Aug 18 found a Deliveroo account listed for rental. The account is listed for $150. The online listing states that only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can rent the account. PHOTO: ST READER The Straits Times has reached out to Deliveroo for more information on this. A spokesperson from delivery platform Foodpanda said the firm takes swift action against any attempts to bypass security systems, including suspension, blacklisting, or regulatory reporting. "We welcome ongoing efforts by the government, NTUC, NDCA, and fellow platform operators to tackle illegal delivery work, and remain committed to working together to uphold platform integrity and protect the livelihoods of legitimate delivery partners," the spokesperson added. Delivery platform Grab said it also conducts random checks through its selfie verification system to deter drivers from sharing their account with others. "Delivery-partners who fail these authentication checks will not be able to receive new delivery jobs from Grab," it added. People found sharing their accounts will receive a formal warning for the first offence, followed by a two-week suspension for the second offence and a termination on the third offence, said a spokesperson from Grab. When asked about protection for foreigners working illegally on the platform, the spokesperson said: "Foreigners who work illegally on the platform are not eligible for any coverage, as they are not recognised participants in the platform economy." From January to December 2024, MOM received and investigated around 90 complaints on suspected illegal foreign delivery drivers. Enforcement actions were taken against 30 foreigners while the remaining cases were found to be unsubstantiated.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Foxconn and SoftBank to make data centre equipment in Ohio for Stargate project
TAIPEI :Foxconn's said on Monday it plans to manufacture data centre equipment with Japan's SoftBank at the Taiwanese firm's former electric vehicle factory in Ohio, part of the Stargate project to advance U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure. Softbank has purchased the Lordstown site, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu told reporters, adding that Foxconn will continue operating the site via a venture the two companies will set up. Foxconn said earlier this month it had struck a deal to sell the factory and its machinery for $375 million, without naming the buyer. Stargate is a joint venture between SoftBank, ChatGPT's creator OpenAI and Oracle. The project was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in January, who said that the companies would invest up to $500 billion. SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SoftBank and Foxconn started preparatory work for the project more than half a year ago, Young added. "We understand that for this project, the first priorities are power, venue, and timing — it cannot be delayed for too long. Taking all these factors into account, we believe Ohio is a very suitable location, and SoftBank shares this view," he said.
