(Yicai) March 14 -- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is letting artificial intelligence models compete in its annual mathematics competition for the first time this year to promote the use of AI in the frontiers of math.

Both human contestants and AI models will be vying for CNY4 million (USD556,200) in prize money at the Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition. The qualifiers will take place online on April 13 and 14, and the finals will be held on June 22, Alibaba’s research institute Damo Academy said today.

AI has extraordinary abilities in natural language and video generation but still struggles to solve complex math problems and does not demonstrate creative potential, Damo Academy said. By contrast, humans have better flexible thinking and abstract reasoning.

AI models will be evaluated according to their ability to understand the questions, the accuracy of their logical reasoning and their ability to problem solve, it said. To ensure that it is a machine, and not a human, taking the test, developers must submit their codes to the organizer for verification before the competition begins, it added.

The developer of the top scoring AI model will receive USD10,000 in prize money, the Hangzhou-based academy said. While those in second and third places will receive prizes of USD5,000 and USD2,000, respectively.

Human mathematicians who win the gold medals will receive USD30,000 in prize money, while the winners of the silver and bronze medals will receive USD15,000, and USD8,000 respectively, it added. A bonus of USD2,000 will also be given to outstanding contestants who miss the medals.

The Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition, organized by China Association for Science and Technology, Alibaba Foundation, and Damo Academy, has attracted 250,000 contestants from more than 70 countries and regions since it started five years ago.

Editor: Kim Taylor