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Altman charts model math ability as 5.5 average professor, 5.6 top 1-2 percentile, Astra better, internal model beyond best mathematicians
In conversation with Mark Benioff, Sam Altman laid out a version progression in human terms: 'GPT 5.5 an average math professor. 5.6 top one or two percentile. Astra a little bit better,' adding that an internal model after Astra 'can do things that even the world's best mathematicians cannot.' The dates give the claim a slope worth noting: GPT-5.5 shipped April 23, 2026, GPT-5.6 on July 9, and GPT-6 Astra on September 3. Treat the internal-model claim as unverifiable marketing until something checkable appears, but the public ladder is at least testable against math benchmarks.
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