OpenAI has withdrawn its sponsorship from Caltech’s “math hackathon,” an event designed around using large language models to tackle difficult research-level mathematics problems.
An OpenAI researcher confirmed the decision on Thursday, ending the ChatGPT maker’s involvement in the event. The withdrawal came shortly after a group of current and former Caltech mathematicians published an open letter criticizing the hackathon and raising concerns about the growing role of AI systems in mathematical research.
The mathematicians argued that events like this could encourage the production of low-quality AI-generated mathematics, sometimes described as “AI slop,” while creating additional work for researchers who may have to verify, correct, or respond to unreliable results.
In their letter, the group warned that the hackathon and similar AI-backed initiatives could have “destructive impacts for the mathematical community,” particularly if companies use researchers’ ideas and feedback to improve commercial AI systems without providing clear benefits to the mathematicians contributing their expertise.