AI vs. German Physics Olympiad

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Hornbein
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the performance of AI models, particularly GPT-4o and Google's AlphaGeometry AI, in comparison to human participants in physics competitions, specifically the German Physics Olympiad and the British Physics Olympiad. Participants share anecdotes about cheating using AI and the implications of such actions in academic settings.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that GPT-4o outperformed average human participants in the Olympiad, with the newer o1-preview model performing even better.
  • Others mention that cheating with AI, such as ChatGPT, has occurred in competitions like the British Physics Olympiad, leading to high scores for some individuals.
  • Concerns are raised about the lax attitudes towards cheating in certain educational contexts, particularly when competitions are deemed "for fun."
  • One participant questions the rules regarding the use of calculators and AI during these competitions, expressing surprise at the lack of restrictions.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of cheating and whether individuals who are aware of cheating face consequences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the seriousness of cheating with AI in academic competitions, with some seeing it as a significant issue while others view it as trivial due to the nature of the competitions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific competitions and their rules, but there is uncertainty regarding the enforcement of cheating policies and the overall impact of AI on competition integrity.

Hornbein
Gold Member
Messages
3,790
Reaction score
3,057
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v18/147

"GPT-4o outperformed the average human participant, and the newer o1-preview model did even better." Note that average students don't bother to enter the Olympiad. These are the better/best students.
 
  • Informative
Likes   Reactions: TensorCalculus
Physics news on Phys.org
Hornbein said:
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v18/147

"GPT-4o outperformed the average human participant, and the newer o1-preview model did even better." Note that average students don't bother to enter the Olympiad. These are the better/best students.
Not surprised: I know someone who used ChatGPT to cheat on the British physics olympiad and got an exceptionally high score.
It's a nightmare (but also very impressive)
Google's AlphaGeometry AI was able to do better on IMO geometry problems than almost all of the participants. Crazy!
 
TensorCalculus said:
I know someone who used ChatGPT to cheat on the British physics olympiad and got an exceptionally high score.
Did they get caught? Back when I was in university (many years ago), if you knew someone cheated on an exam and did not turn them in, you could be considered just as guilty of cheating and face the same consequences.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Likes   Reactions: TensorCalculus and weirdoguy
berkeman said:
Did they get caught? Back when I was in university (many years ago), if you knew someone cheated on an exam and did not turn them in, you could be considered just as guilty of cheating and face the same consequences.
Don't know. Everyone in our year knew that they used ChatGPT they sort of turned it into a year-wide joke.

The test didn't matter anyway: they simply made all of us do it "for fun" and our score made no difference whatsoever to anything... apart from getting a certificate. I honestly don't think the school would have cared if someone told them that the kid cheated with ChatGPT...
They're really (overly) lax about cheating here, unless it's on an important test (e.g. GCSEs). They certainly don't have a rule like that - that's a new one for me!
 
AFAIK not even pocket calculators are allowed in those olympiads. How did they do it?
 
The school literally does not care because they were making a bunch of kids do a physics challenge which is meant to be for people years older than them, "for fun"...
The story is that they just used their phone under the table, and the teacher, if they did see, didn't mind.
We are allowed calculators though!

EDIT/ADD: I just realised, when checking grade boundaries to quantify just how well she did, it wasn't the British Physics Olympiad that we did, we did the easier version, The Physics Challenge. A merit is 20/50 and that girl got 42/50 just using ChatGPT.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Replies
10
Views
5K
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
5K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
7K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
6K
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
26K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
5K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
5K