AlphaProof, an AI from Google DeepMind, came close to matching the top participants in a prestigious competition for young mathematicians
By Alex Wilkins
25 July 2024
DeepMind’s AlphaProof AI can tackle a range of mathematical problems
Google DeepMind
An AI from Google DeepMind has achieved a silver medal score at this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the first time any AI has made it to the podium.
The IMO is considered the world’s most prestigious competition for young mathematicians. Correctly answering its test questions requires mathematical ability that AI systems typically lack.
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In January, Google DeepMind demonstrated AlphaGeometry, an AI system that could answer some IMO geometry questions as well as humans. However, this was not from a live competition, and it couldn’t answer questions from other mathematical disciplines, such as number theory, algebra and combinatorics, which is necessary to win an IMO medal.
Google DeepMind has now released a new AI, called AlphaProof, which can solve a wider range of mathematical problems, and an improved version of AlphaGeometry, which can solve more geometry questions.
When the team tested both systems together on this year’s IMO questions, they answered four out of six questions correctly, giving them a score of 28 out of a possible 42 points. This was enough to win a silver medal and just one point under this year’s gold medal threshold.