'Not selling my soul': Why this Aussie maths professor took on OpenAI

After a public firestorm with the technology giant over a $1.4 million problem, Tristan Buckmaster says artificial intelligence has taken over his profession.

Maths professor Tristan Buckmaster is in a fight with OpenAI and its boss Sam Altman over claims that its AI models solved a difficult problem. Bethany Rae

The Australian professor who claimed OpenAI engaged in foul play over a major mathematical breakthrough says the artificial intelligence makers are wholly focused on beating each other and do not care about the technology’s transformative effects on society and individuals.

Melbourne-born academic Tristan Buckmaster was thrust into the global spotlight this week after he revealed conversations he had with executives from OpenAI in the days before the company revealed that it had solved one of the world’s most complex mathematical questions.