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Indian Express
a day ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Weapons of Math Destruction: What do Olympiad gold medals mean for the AI race?
Large language models (LLMs) are widely known for their ability to churn out essays and other forms of text in seconds. But for years, researchers have been using math problems that involve advanced reasoning as a test of what artificial intelligence (AI) systems are truly capable of. The race to build AI systems that rival human intelligence has led to several claims of mathematical breakthroughs, along with questions about the validity of certain benchmark tests. But this week provided a clearer sign of progress, as two AI models – developed by OpenAI and Google DeepMind – achieved scores high enough to win gold medals at the International Math Olympiad (IOM) 2025, a prestigious math competition for high school students. This is the first time any AI model has achieved such a high level of success on these kinds of problems. Every year since 1959, countries from around the world send their brightest 'mathletes' to compete at the IMO. The Olympiad takes place in two sessions, and participants are expected to solve three challenging math problems in each session. The duration of each session is 4.5 hours. The AI models solved five out of six math problems under the same conditions as human participants. Each problem carries seven points. They cover topics such as algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. The two AI models scored 35 out of 42 points, which was the cut-off this year for winning a gold medal. Both OpenAI and Google DeepMind used experimental AI reasoning models. Reasoning models are different from LLMs because they are said to work through a problem step-by-step before finally arriving at an answer. India also bagged three gold medals, two silver, and one bronze at IOM 2025. Among the three gold-medal winners were Kanav Talwar and Aarav Gupta from Delhi Public School (DPS) Faridabad, while their schoolmate Archit Manas took home the bronze. 'It's both surprising and impressive that AI systems can now solve IMO-level problems. However, the exact methods these AI systems use to arrive at their solutions remain somewhat unclear,' Kanav Talwar told The Indian Express. Talwar is the only member of the Indian contingent who outperformed both AI models, scoring two points higher than them. 'This is not unexpected. AI systems work on large amounts of training data, so if they are fed enough Olympiad-level problems and their solutions, the AI system can memorise patterns (e.g., spotting cyclic quadrilaterals in geometry) for solving certain scenarios,' Aarav Gupta, another gold medal-winner, said. What's behind the rivalry between OpenAI and Google DeepMind? This year was the first time IOM organisers officially worked with tech companies to allow their AI models to take part in the competition. While Google was part of this inaugural cohort, OpenAI wasn't. The final scores achieved by the AI models were certified by IMO judges, and companies were reportedly asked to wait a few months before publishing the results in order not to steal the spotlight from the human medal-winners. However, OpenAI was the first to go public with the results. The Microsoft-backed AI startup on Saturday, July 19, announced that its unreleased AI model had achieved a gold medal-worthy score, but the results have not been certified by IMO judges. Instead, OpenAI relied on third-party, former IMO medallists to verify and grade the AI-generated solutions. Google, on the other hand, used a general-purpose model called Gemini Deep Think at the competition. The experimental model has 'an enhanced reasoning mode for complex problems that incorporates some of our latest research techniques, including parallel thinking. This setup enables the model to simultaneously explore and combine multiple possible solutions before giving a final answer, rather than pursuing a single, linear chain of thought,' Google said. Gemini Deep Think's results have been officially certified by the IMO. 'We can confirm that Google DeepMind has reached the much-desired milestone […] Their solutions were astonishing in many respects. IMO graders found them to be clear, precise and most of them easy to follow,' said Dr Gregor Dolinar, the president of IMO. While Google has said this version of its Deep Think model will be made available to AI Ultra subscribers after testing, OpenAI has said it does not plan to release an AI model with this level of math capability for several months. Why are IMO gold medals a big deal for AI companies? Despite the rivalry between OpenAI and Google DeepMind, both their AI models essentially tied with the same final score. But their performances also underscore how rapidly AI models are evolving. Last year, Google DeepMind announced that its AI tools, AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry, had achieved an IMO score equivalent to a silver medal. But these AI tools were specially fine-tuned for solving math problems. They also relied on human experts to first translate the problems from natural language into formal programming languages such as Lean and vice versa. The computation for the proofs also took significantly more time. 'This year, our advanced Gemini model operated end-to-end in natural language, producing rigorous mathematical proofs directly from the official problem descriptions – all within the 4.5-hour competition time limit,' Google said. Researchers behind OpenAI and Google's IMO efforts this year also claimed that the gold-medal results showed how far AI reasoning models have come in solving problems that cannot be easily checked or verified. While AI models may be approaching elite human mathematical reasoning, India's math talents believe that they still cannot match the emotion and creativity involved. 'IMO participants not only solve problems but also experience the unique emotions, excitement, and mental challenge that come with the exam environment which is what makes the IMO truly special,' Talwar said. Archit Manas also agreed that AI models could probably find it hard to solve mathematical problems that require truly new ideas. 'For example, an AI model trained on pre-IMO 2007 ideas would find it hard to solve IMO 2007/6,' he told The Indian Express. Where could mathematical AI models be used? The achievements of AI models at this year's IMO suggest that it could be used to crack unsolved research problems in fields like cryptography and space exploration. But LLMs are also prone to stumbling on simple questions like whether 9.11 is bigger than 9.9. Hence, they are said to possess 'jagged intelligence' which is a term coined by Andrej Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI. 'AI can help mathematicians solve problems and take care of the more mundane computational elements in their work,' Talwar said. 'Maybe AI can be used for checking proofs and even for brainstorming, but in my opinion, AI being able to replace mathematicians is a long way off,' Gupta opined. When asked if they would recommend using AI tools to train for future Olympiads, Talwar said, 'Maybe in the future, AI can help in math Olympiad preparation in a way that is analogous to chess, where the AI could suggest better ideas on specific problems.'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
India's gold blitz at International Mathematical Olympiad Down Under
1 2 Pune: Six contestants, including one from Maharashtra, of the Indian team participating in the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2025 held at Sunshine Coast, Australia, have won three gold, two silver and one bronze medals. The event saw the participation of 630 students, of which 69 were women. In 2024, India created history at the IMO by winning four gold medals. Since 1989, India has won 23 gold medals — 12 of which were won between 2019 and 2025, while nine have come over the last three IMOs (2023, 2024, 2025). You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The winning team comprised Kanav Talwar (Delhi), Aarav Gupta (Delhi) and Adhitya Mangudy (Maharashtra) — who won gold medals. Abel George Mathew (Karnataka) and Aadish Jain (Delhi) won silver medals, while Archit Manas (Delhi) bagged a bronze. The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) issued a statement that with this achievement India came seventh at the IMO for the third time and equalled the feats of 1998 and 2001. The best rank achieved, so far, is fourth at the 65th IMO in 2024. It further said, "This is the third time in a row India has achieved a rank in the top 10 at the IMO (India finished ninth at IMO 2023 and fourth at IMO 2024). Since its debut in 1989, India has been placed in the top 10 on seven out of 35 occasions (India did not participate in 2020 because of the pandemic). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo " This year, Team India set a new record by achieving the country's highest-ever cumulative score of 193 out of a maximum of 252. The HBCSE, TIFR, is the nodal centre for training and selecting students to represent India at various international olympiads in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and astrophysics. HBCSE conducts the national olympiad examination which serves as the gateway for final team selection. The statement said, "In IMO, questions are from four broad topics — algebra, combinatorics, number theory and geometry. The host country seeks proposals from every participating country and each can submit up to six problems. Upon receiving the problems by a certain deadline, the problem selection committee (PSC), appointed by the host country and approved by the IMO board, works on all the problems for at least two months and prepares the IMO shortlist (ISL). " Anant Mudgal, a member of the PSC of IMO 2025, said, "I thank the Mathematical Teachers' Association (India), Chennai Mathematical Institute and the funding agencies for their continued strong support to the mathematical olympiad programme, which enables us to showcase Indian talent on the global stage." MSID:: 122798204 413 |
India Today
4 days ago
- Science
- India Today
India secures 7th rank at 66th international mathematical olympiad
India matched its best-ever rank—7th globally—at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia, earning a record 193 points with three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. India delivered a stellar performance at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Sunshine Coast, Australia, finishing 7th among 110 participating countries, matching its best historical rank and setting a new national record. The six-member Indian team returned with a full medal tally, comprising three gold, two silver, and one bronze. With a cumulative score of 193 out of 252, this marks India's highest-ever score at the IMO, surpassing all previous records since its debut in 1989. The gold medal winners were Kanav Talwar, Aarav Gupta, and Adhitya Mangudy. Abel George Mathew and Aadish Jain took home silver medals, while Archit Manas earned a bronze. The students, hailing from various parts of India, including four from Delhi, competed against 630 participants worldwide. The team's performance places India 7th globally, a rank it had previously achieved in 1998 and 2001. This also marks the second time India has won three gold medals at a single IMO, with the first instance occurring in 1998. India's best-ever performance came in 2024, when the team secured the 4th position and bagged four gold medals. The Indian delegation was led by Prof. Shanta Laishram of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi, with Dr. Mainak Ghosh from ISI Bengaluru serving as Deputy Leader. Observers included MIT undergraduate Atul Shatavart Nadig and Dr. Rijul Saini. The selection and training of India's IMO team are coordinated by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR, the national nodal agency for Olympiad programmes in subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. India's sustained excellence at the IMO has been underscored by consistent top-10 finishes—seven in total since 1989—and an accelerating medal count in recent years. Between 2023 and 2025 alone, Indian students have clinched nine gold medals. The IMO challenges participants with six advanced-level problems in areas such as algebra, combinatorics, number theory, and geometry. Each student can earn a maximum of 42 points, with the combined team score capped at 252.
India Today
4 days ago
- Science
- India Today
India wins 3 golds at International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia, ranks 7th
India won three gold medals and secured the 7th position amongst 110 participating countries at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2025, held in Sunshine Coast, a total haul of six medals -- three gold, two silver, and one bronze -- the Indian team has once again proved its rising strength in global mathematical year's medal-winning team consisted of Kanav Talwar, Aarav Gupta, and Adhitya Mangudy (gold medallists), Abel George Mathew and Aadish Jain (silver), and Archit Manas (bronze).advertisement The team also achieved a record cumulative score of 193 out of 252, the highest ever by India in its 35 appearances at the IMO since debuting in AND TRAININGThe Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, is the nodal agency responsible for organising India's participation in international science olympiads, including oversees the national selection exams, training camps, and preparation strategies for team 2025 delegation was led by Professor Shanta Laishram from ISI Delhi, with Dr Mainak Ghosh from ISI Bengaluru serving as Deputy team also included two observers: Atul Shatavart Nadig, currently a BS student at MIT, USA, and Dr Rijul to the official statement from HBCSE, India has seen a steady rise in performance at the IMO over the past few years. This is the second time India has won three gold medals (the first was in 1998) and the third time, placing 7th, matching its rank from 1998 and achieved its best-ever rank of 4th in 2024, when it won four gold medals. From 2019 to 2025, Indian students have collectively won 12 gold medals, with nine golds earned in just the last three years -- 2023, 2024, and THE INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIADThe IMO is the world's most prestigious mathematics competition for high school participating country fields six students, who solve six challenging problems over two days, covering algebra, number theory, combinatorics, and geometry. The maximum individual score is 42, with a team total of year's Olympiad hosted 630 students from 110 nations, making India's performance especially commendable among a highly competitive international field.- Ends
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze for India at Maths Olympiad
Mumbai: The Indian team won three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad held in Australia. The country stood seventh among 110 countries that participated. In all, 630 students participated in the event, of which 69 were female. This is the second time that the country has won three gold medals at the IMO, after 1998. Last year, India created history by winning four gold medals and bagging the fourth position among participating countries. This is the third time in a row that the country achieved a rank in the top 10 at the IMO. Since 1989, India has won 23 gold medals. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Adhitya Mangudy from Maharashtra and Kanav Talwar and Aarav Gupta from Delhi bagged gold. Abel George Mathew from Karnataka and Aadish Jain from Delhi won silver, while Archit Manas, from Delhi, bagged a bronze medal. TNN
