Image Source : Alibaba Cloud
The Alibaba Global Math Competition is now accepting applications until April 11, offering a top prize of $30,000. This year’s event is even more exciting with a new addition – a special category for AI models, aiming to push forward AI development.
Anyone who loves math can sign up from now until early April on Alibaba’s DAMO Academy website. Participants will face real-world math problems in a preliminary round before advancing to the final, where they’ll be tested on their basic math skills in five different areas, all done online.
For the first time, the competition will feature a section for AI models. Developers, academic institutions, and startups interested in AI can enter. During the preliminary round, they can use any large language models to solve math problems within 48 hours.
Judges will assess the models based on their creativity, logic, and how efficiently they solve the math challenges. The top AI model could win a $10,000 prize.
The organizers of the Alibaba Global Math Competition say that introducing AI adds a fresh perspective, showcasing its problem-solving capabilities and logical thinking skills to the public.
While AI has made impressive strides, it still struggles with complex math problems due to its limited reasoning abilities. Most AI models can’t handle undergraduate-level or advanced math problems yet.
However, there’s optimism about the future. Ivan Fesenko, a member of the competition’s steering committee and a professor at Westlake University, believes that AI might eventually surpass humans in math competitions, and we might see glimpses of this progress in the current competition.
Open to All
The Alibaba Global Math Competition, organized by Alibaba Philanthropy and its research institute DAMO Academy, has been a hit for six years now. More than 50,000 math enthusiasts from over 70 countries and regions participate annually.
Winners of past competitions have hailed from prestigious academic institutions like Peking University, Princeton, and MIT.
Anyone can enter, and there’s no fee to apply. The application deadline is April 11. The preliminary round will be held from April 13 to 15, and the final round is scheduled for June 22.
The top five scorers in the final round will win gold awards and a grand prize of $30,000 each. Ten silver winners will get $15,000 each, and 20 bronze award winners will receive $8000 each.
Last year, the competition crowned its youngest-ever full marks scorer, a 17-year-old sophomore from Peking University, outshining 685 contestants across 19 countries.
To sign up for the competition, click here.
