Latest news with #OpenAIAHC
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Human programmer beats OpenAI's custom AI in 10-hour marathon, wins World Coding Championship — Polish programmer might be the last human winner
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Przemysław 'Psyho' Dębiak, a 42-year-old programmer from Gdynia, Poland, made history by defeating OpenAI's custom AI model at the AtCoder World Tour Finals (AWTF) 2025 "Humans vs AI" contest in Tokyo. Considered one of the most prestigious coding tournaments in the world, the AWTF invites just 12 of the top-ranked human programmers—and, for the first time, an AI competitor—to tackle its grueling challenges. After a 10-hour coding marathon, Dębiak edged out the AI by roughly 9.5%, clinching first place while the OpenAI-built model settled for second. 'Humanity has prevailed (for now)!' Dębiak wrote on X, confessing he'd slept only around 10 hours over three days while pushing himself to the limit. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman aptly responded with, 'Good job, Psyho.' The AI model, branded OpenAIAHC, was widely expected to dominate the market. Still, Dębiak's innovative, heuristic-driven approach—using problem-solving shortcuts and educated guesses instead of brute-force calculation—secured the win. Contest administrator Yoichi Iwata praised his distinctive method, noting that while the AI excelled at raw optimization, it 'fell short of human creativity.' The AtCoder World Tour Finals (AWTF) is regarded as the ultimate stage for heuristic programming contests that focus on 'good-enough' solutions to complex, unsolvable problems rather than perfect ones. This year's challenge tasked competitors with plotting a robot's path across a 30×30 grid using the fewest possible moves, an NP-hard optimization problem with countless possible outcomes. With no access to external libraries or documentation, success relied on intuition, creativity, and adaptability—qualities where human ingenuity can still outthink the raw speed and precision of AI models. Dębiak, a former OpenAI engineer who helped develop OpenAI Five (the Dota 2 AI), competed using only Visual Studio Code with basic autocomplete and admitted the AI pushed him to his limits: 'I was close to the model's score, and that pushed me to give everything.' Near the end of the 10-hour marathon, he overtook OpenAIAHC to claim victory and a 500,000 yen prize. A veteran algorithmic competitor, Mensa member, and four-time TopCoder Open Marathon champion, Dębiak has never held a full-time job and once even joked about considering careers from DJing to professional poker. His win carries symbolic weight, a human triumphing over AI in a field where machines typically excel. All that being said, AI's steady progress is undeniable—Stanford's 2025 AI Index found coding benchmarks jumped from 4.4% AI success in 2023 to 71.7% in 2024. With tools like GitHub Copilot used daily by over 90% of developers, AI is reshaping workflows. However, this win highlights that creativity, endurance, and intuition —especially in long-form heuristic challenges —remain human strengths. Dębiak isn't naive about the challenge ahead, saying, 'It's easy to imagine a different problem where AI would win and humans would be far behind.'. Still, this feels like a human John Henry moment—a testament not just to sheer human will, but to the spark of creativity machines haven't replicated and (hopefully) will never be able to. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Time of India
Brain over bots: "Humanity prevails" as human programmer defeats AI in 10-hour programming war
A Polish programmer has beaten an OpenAI model in a gruelling 10-hour coding competition, sparking fresh debate about where artificial intelligence fits in skilled work. Przemysaw Debiak, who goes by Psyho online pseudonym, came out on top against OpenAI 's custom-built model during the AtCoder World Tour Finals 2025 in Tokyo. The result has got people talking about what this means for programming's future. AtCoder runs one of the world's most respected competitive programming platforms, attracting elite coders from across the globe. This year's competition had an unusual twist - for the first time, an AI model called "OpenAIAHC" went head-to-head with 12 of the world's best human programmers. Debiak, who used to work for OpenAI, ended up winning the whole thing. A brutally intense competition format The competition format was brutal. Everyone had to tackle one massive optimisation problem in the Heuristic Contest category; one of the hardest areas in competitive programming. The problem was classified as NP-hard, meaning contestants needed clever, sometimes imperfect approaches to find the best solution they could within 10 hours. This wasn't just about coding ability. Competitors had to keep their concentration sharp and think strategically whilst battling exhaustion over the marathon session. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nvidia's AI Strategy Is Clear - But Is Wall Street Paying Attention? Seeking Alpha Read More Undo The organisers made sure it was fair by giving everyone identical hardware - no computational advantages for the AI. Contestants could use any programming language AtCoder supports, but there was a catch: five-minute cooldown periods between submissions. This meant everyone had to think carefully before making their next move. Despite OpenAI's model having incredible processing power, Debiak's determination and problem-solving skills won out. His final score hit 1,812,272,558,909 points, beating the AI's 1,654,675,725,406 by a slim 9.5% margin. The AI still performed brilliantly though, outscoring the other 10 human competitors. Ex-OpenAI employee's win was symbolic of something far more important This wasn't really about points or algorithms, it was symbolic. Many people saw this competition as representing something much bigger: the ongoing struggle between human creativity and AI's growing capabilities. As artificial intelligence keeps advancing in medicine, engineering, and countless other fields, this contest became a pivotal moment in discussions about automation and whether humans still have a place in specialist work. The win meant something special for Debiak. Having worked at OpenAI previously, he knew exactly how powerful AI could become in transforming entire industries. Yet his victory showed that human determination, creativity, and mental toughness still count for something, even against advanced AI systems. Debiak posted on social media afterwards: "I'm completely exhausted. … I'm barely alive. Humanity has prevailed (for now!)." The close result highlighted how AI can crunch through vast amounts of data quickly, but still can't quite match the subtle problem-solving abilities humans bring, especially under intense pressure. Sam Altman's acknowledgement and what to expect next OpenAI handled their narrow defeat well. They congratulated Debiak on social media, writing: "Congrats to the champion for holding us off this time." Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, also praised Debiak with a simple "Good job psyho" post. Although AI came second, OpenAI saw this as progress in competitive programming AI. But it raises uncomfortable questions about future contests like AtCoder. If AI can already match some of the world's best human programmers, how long before machines completely take over these events? It's a worrying thought for anyone who sees these contests as celebrations of human technical achievement. For now, though, humans have held their ground. As AI keeps evolving, the balance between human and machine intelligence gets more delicate. Whilst AI programming abilities are expanding rapidly, this contest proved there are still areas where human creativity and resilience can just about edge out even the most sophisticated AI models. Whether this continues as AI becomes smarter and more autonomous is anyone's guess, but right now, human ingenuity has had its day. Debiak's victory wasn't just about beating a machine - it was about proving that humanity can still adapt and endure, even as technology races ahead at breakneck speed. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hans India
19-07-2025
- Science
- Hans India
Human Coder Triumphs Over OpenAI in 10-Hour AtCoder Showdown
In a landmark moment for human ingenuity, Polish programmer Przemysław Dębiak, better known in the coding world as Psyho, emerged victorious over an advanced OpenAI model in a grueling 10-hour programming challenge at the AtCoder World Tour Finals 2025. Despite the formidable pace and precision of AI, it was sheer human persistence that clinched the win — if only just. Shortly after the event, Dębiak took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), posting: 'I'm completely exhausted. ... I'm barely alive. Humanity has prevailed (for now!).' Dębiak, who once worked for OpenAI himself, rose above exhaustion and intense competition to score a staggering 1,812,272,558,909 points, edging out the AI entrant 'OpenAIAHC,' which scored 1,654,675,725,406 — just 9.5% behind. The remaining ten human finalists, all top-tier programmers selected through a year-long ranking process, couldn't match the pace of either. Held in Tokyo by the renowned Japanese platform AtCoder, this year's finals featured an unprecedented 'Humans vs AI' special event. The programming community watched closely as twelve of the world's top coders took on a sophisticated AI designed by OpenAI — the same company behind ChatGPT. The stakes were high, not just in terms of points, but in what the outcome would symbolise in the ongoing conversation around human versus machine capabilities. The format of the event was intentionally designed to push limits. Spanning 600 minutes, the competition involved solving an extremely complex optimization puzzle — a hallmark of the Heuristic Contest category. These types of challenges are famously hard, often requiring approximate or creative solutions under time pressure. To ensure fairness, all participants — human and AI — operated on identical hardware. Submissions were spaced out by a mandatory five-minute cooldown. While the AI system outperformed the rest of the human participants, the fact that Dębiak bested the machine has quickly become a symbolic victory — a testament to human resilience in the age of automation. Even OpenAI acknowledged the significance. In a public statement, the company wrote: 'Our model took 2nd place at the AtCoder Heuristics World Finals! Congrats to the champion for holding us off this time.' OpenAI CEO Sam Altman added his voice with a brief but pointed message: 'Good job psyho.' Dębiak's win is not only a personal milestone but a reminder that human creativity and grit remain highly relevant — especially in arenas dominated by logic, speed, and algorithmic prowess. The result has sparked fresh reflection on how AI and humans will coexist in technical professions going forward. As AI tools continue to advance and close the gap, many wonder how long humans can hold their lead. Yet for now, the scoreboard — and perhaps something more — remains in favour of humanity.
India Today
19-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
OpenAI's AI crushes coding legends in 10-hour programming contest, but one human still beat the bot
Amid the ongoing debate on AI vs humans at work, a new instance has been added favouring humans. A Polish programmer, Przemysaw Debiak aka Psyho, triumphed over an advanced AI model from OpenAI in a head-to-head programming battle at the prestigious AtCoder World Tour Finals 2025 in Tokyo. Despite the relentless efficiency of artificial intelligence, it was human determination that came out on top, if only by a narrow contest, held by Japanese competitive programming platform AtCoder, is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most exclusive events in the field. Reserved for just 12 of the world's top-ranked programmers each year, the 2025 edition introduced a first-of-its-kind challenge: a direct face-off between human intelligence and a custom-built AI model from OpenAI, the company behind OpenAI sponsored the event and entered its model in a special 'Humans vs AI' exhibition match, it was their former employee, Debiak, who managed to edge out the machine. He had already competed in several events over the previous three days, pushed himself to the limit. 'I'm completely exhausted. ... I'm barely alive,' he posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after the match. 'Humanity has prevailed (for now!).' His final score? An astonishing 1,812,272,558,909 points. OpenAI's model, listed under the name "OpenAIAHC," finished second with 1,654,675,725,406 points, just 9.5 per cent behind. The AI still managed to outperform the remaining ten elite human programmers, who had each qualified for the competition through year-long rankings. A test of enduranceThe competition's format was gruelling. Participants had 600 minutes, a full 10 hours, to tackle a single complex optimisation problem under the Heuristic Contest division. These problems fall under the NP-hard category, requiring contestants to use clever, often imperfect strategies to reach the best possible solutions within strict time competitors, human and AI alike, were provided with identical hardware to ensure fairness. Submissions were permitted in any programming language supported by AtCoder, with a five-minute cooldown period between each victory has become a modern-day metaphor for the resilience of human intellect in the face of rapid contest not only tested raw programming ability but also became a symbolic moment in the ongoing debate about AI's growing role in skilled CEO Sam Altman commentsadvertisementThe symbolic nature of the match wasn't lost on OpenAI. In a post on X, the company wrote: 'Our model took 2nd place at the AtCoder Heuristics World Finals! Congrats to the champion for holding us off this time.'OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also acknowledged Debiak's victory, posting a simple but telling message: 'Good job psyho.'For Debiak, it was a proud but exhausting win, made even more significant given his own history with OpenAI, where he previously worked. The result served as a reminder that, while AI continues to grow in capability, human ingenuity, under pressure, still holds its OpenAI called the second-place finish a milestone for AI in competitive programming raises broader questions about the future of such contests. If AI models can already rival world-class humans under fair conditions, how long will it be before they dominate completely?For now, the balance has been maintained. But as AI tools become faster, smarter, and more autonomous, contests like AtCoder may increasingly become battlegrounds not just for high scores—but for the soul of programming itself.- Ends
