Human Beats AI: Polish Programmer Wins Coding Marathon Against OpenAI

At the AtCoder World Tour Finals 2025, Polish programmer Psyho defeated OpenAI’s AI model in a 10-hour programming competition. Psyho, a former OpenAI engineer, surpassed the AI by approximately 9.5% to win first place. The challenge involved optimizing a robot’s path on a grid, an NP-hard problem. While OpenAI’s AI was favored, Psyho’s heuristic approach and “human creativity” proved decisive. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged Psyho’s victory. He won 500,000 Japanese Yen.

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CNBC AI News, July 20, 2025 – In a stunning upset at the AtCoder World Tour Finals (AWTF) 2025 in Tokyo, 42-year-old Polish programmer Psyho, hailing from Gdynia, has etched his name into the annals of competitive coding by defeating OpenAI’s custom-built AI model.

The AWTF is revered as one of the most prestigious programming competitions globally, assembling 12 elite human coders and a formidable AI contender to tackle exceptionally challenging tasks.

After a grueling 10-hour programming marathon, Psyho emerged victorious, surpassing the AI by approximately 9.5% to claim the top spot. OpenAI’s model secured second place in a closely contested battle of wits and algorithms.

Psyho, taking to social media after his triumph, quipped, “Humanity wins (at least for now)!” He confessed to running on fumes, having only managed about 10 hours of sleep in the three days leading up to the competition, pushing himself to the absolute limit.

Adding to the moment, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the victory with a succinct, “Well done, Psyho.”

Human vs. AI: Polish Programmer Outcodes OpenAI in 10-Hour Marathon!

This year’s intricate challenge demanded participants devise a path for a robot on a 30×30 grid, optimizing for the fewest possible moves. This complex problem falls into the NP-hard optimization category, boasting an astronomical number of potential solutions.

Prior to the event, OpenAI’s AI model, OpenAIAHC, was widely considered the favorite. However, Psyho’s innovative, heuristic-driven approach – employing problem-solving shortcuts and educated guesses rather than brute-force computation – proved to be the deciding factor in his victory.

Competition administrator Yoichi Iwata lauded Psyho’s unique methodology, pointing out that while the AI excelled at raw optimization, it still lagged behind in the realm of “human creativity” – a crucial element in conquering the complex task.

Interestingly, Psyho is a former OpenAI engineer who contributed to the development of OpenAI Five. He utilized Visual Studio Code for the competition, relying solely on basic auto-completion features. He admitted that the AI pushed him to his absolute limit: “My score was close to the model’s, which motivated me to go all out.”

In the final stages of the 10-hour marathon, he overtook OpenAIAHC, securing the championship title and a prize of 500,000 Japanese Yen.

Human vs. AI: Polish Programmer Outcodes OpenAI in 10-Hour Marathon!

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Original article, Author: Tobias. If you wish to reprint this article, please indicate the source:https://aicnbc.com/5196.html

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