Arithmetic Paradox in AI: Why Advanced Models Fail at Basic Math

The Arithmetic Paradox: When Advanced AI Stumbles on Simple Math Recently, a seemingly trivial math problem sparked widespread discussion in AI circles: calculating the difference between 10.9 and 10.11. What should be a straightforward elementary school calculation has become a recurring stumbling block for cutting-edge AI models, including the newly launched GPT-5 and popular models like Gemini Pro 2.5. This phenomenon, while amusing on the surface, reveals a profound challenge in artificial intelligence development that deserves our serious attention. The Simple Math Problem That Tripped Up Advanced AI Let’s begin with the concrete example that has become something of a …