On Thursday, Google DeepMind announced that AI techniques known as AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2 reportedly solved 4 out of six issues from this yr’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), reaching a rating equal to a silver medal. The tech large claims this marks the primary time an AI has reached this stage of efficiency within the prestigious math competitors—however as regular in AI, the claims aren’t as clear-cut as they appear.
Google says AlphaProof makes use of reinforcement studying to show mathematical statements within the formal language known as Lean. The system trains itself by producing and verifying thousands and thousands of proofs, progressively tackling harder issues. In the meantime, AlphaGeometry 2 is described as an upgraded model of Google’s previous geometry-solving AI modeI, now powered by a Gemini-based language mannequin educated on considerably extra information.
Based on Google, outstanding mathematicians Sir Timothy Gowers and Dr. Joseph Myers scored the AI mannequin’s options utilizing official IMO guidelines. The corporate stories its mixed system earned 28 out of 42 potential factors, simply shy of the 29-point gold medal threshold. This included an ideal rating on the competitors’s hardest drawback, which Google claims solely 5 human contestants solved this yr.
A math contest not like another
The IMO, held yearly since 1959, pits elite pre-college mathematicians in opposition to exceptionally tough issues in algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and quantity principle. Efficiency on IMO issues has turn into a acknowledged benchmark for assessing an AI system’s mathematical reasoning capabilities.
Google states that AlphaProof solved two algebra issues and one quantity principle drawback, whereas AlphaGeometry 2 tackled the geometry query. The AI mannequin reportedly failed to resolve the 2 combinatorics issues. The corporate claims its techniques solved one drawback inside minutes, whereas others took as much as three days.
Google says it first translated the IMO issues into formal mathematical language for its AI mannequin to course of. This step differs from the official competitors, the place human contestants work instantly with the issue statements throughout two 4.5-hour periods.
Google stories that earlier than this yr’s competitors, AlphaGeometry 2 might resolve 83 p.c of historic IMO geometry issues from the previous 25 years, up from its predecessor’s 53 p.c success fee. The corporate claims the brand new system solved this yr’s geometry drawback in 19 seconds after receiving the formalized model.
Limitations
Regardless of Google’s claims, Sir Timothy Gowers provided a extra nuanced perspective on the Google DeepMind fashions in a thread posted on X. Whereas acknowledging the achievement as “effectively past what computerized theorem provers might do earlier than,” Gowers identified a number of key {qualifications}.
“The principle qualification is that this system wanted quite a bit longer than the human opponents—for a number of the issues over 60 hours—and naturally a lot sooner processing pace than the poor outdated human mind,” Gowers wrote. “If the human opponents had been allowed that form of time per drawback they might undoubtedly have scored greater.”
Gowers additionally famous that people manually translated the issues into the formal language Lean earlier than the AI mannequin started its work. He emphasised that whereas the AI carried out the core mathematical reasoning, this “autoformalization” step was accomplished by people.
Relating to the broader implications for mathematical analysis, Gowers expressed uncertainty. “Are we near the purpose the place mathematicians are redundant? It is arduous to say. I might guess that we’re nonetheless a breakthrough or two wanting that,” he wrote. He prompt that the system’s lengthy processing instances point out it hasn’t “solved arithmetic” however acknowledged that “there may be clearly one thing fascinating happening when it operates.”
Even with these limitations, Gowers speculated that such AI techniques might turn into priceless analysis instruments. “So we could be near having a program that may allow mathematicians to get solutions to a variety of questions, offered these questions weren’t too tough—the sort of factor one can do in a few hours. That may be massively helpful as a analysis instrument, even when it wasn’t itself able to fixing open issues.”
