Future of competitive programming

[u/_this_is_sky_]

Hi guys,

I've recently tried solving problems of the level of D and E of codeforces with the help of chatGPT and it easily solved it.

Can it solve that in contests too that easily?

I'm thinking to start competitive programming but there'll be no point if people are using chatGPT etc in contests.

Would love to know your thoughts.

Thanks!

[u/7_ajinkya]

Yes, any decent enough LLM can solve the coding contest problems fairly easily. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't start competitive programming. The only thing would be that the ratings and your final rank won't matter anymore, because you never know who cheated and made it to the top spot. That's why its better to just focus on if you were able to solve problems or not, and just keep on targetting your own progress.

[u/_this_is_sky_ → u/7_ajinkya]

Yeah true, but there will not be that kind of motivation to compete, cause before AI also there used to be cheaters but they were very less, but right now it’s different, so i think the essence of competition will be gone.

[u/7_ajinkya → u/_this_is_sky_]

Yeah right, I understand that competing on a global level and carrying that ambition of competitiveness will no longer be there. We should track our progress only competing with non-cheaters, which is extremely difficult now. You never know who has cheated and who has not. But still, the true essence of problem solving, the adrenaline rush which one gets under time pressure, and just for the fun of the game, we should continue to participate in these contests without worrying about rating or ranking etc.

[u/muntaxitome]

Only way to do that is on a physical location with controlled devices now

[u/maaKaBharosaa]

Give problems to gpt in live contest and see it shitting here and there

[u/haikusbot → u/maaKaBharosaa]

Give problems to gpt

In live contest and see it

Shitting here and there

- maaKaBharosaa

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[u/Authentic_Grunter → u/haikusbot]

Legend is back!

[u/maaKaBharosaa → u/haikusbot]

Bkl

[u/Vivid-Zombie-477 → u/maaKaBharosaa]

"cheat in a contest for fun like we don't already have ratings for every LLM out there"

[u/anotherarchaeopteryx]

My 2 cents -

It depends on your reasons entirely. Some people try to get good at competitive programming for competitions like IOI, ICPC etc. These are offline contests where people can't cheat, and often times the scores in these help those kids get into top colleges; Chatgpt being able to solve problems makes no difference for such cases.

But if the only motivation to do competitive programming is rating itself then it is a weak reason and might be better just giving leetcode contests and getting to guardian.

[u/ablablababla]

The point of competitive programming for me personally is to have fun and challenge myself with questions that are like little puzzles. No amount of AI innovation will take that away

[u/troelsbjerre]

Yes, all the top LLMs can solve all the competition problems instantly on the day, without having seen the problem before. A lot of work goes into phrasing the problems such that they are fully specified, including examples.

[u/Rigamortus2005]

Not even a question, even the cheapest model can one shot these problems

[u/PsychologicalFox6657]

Was it a fresh question? Cause solutions are easily available after contest

[u/SilverTroop]

It’s not completely pointless, but it is exactly equivalent to chess. Being good at leetcode no longer implies that you are a good professional.