Joshua Gans: ChatGPT 5.2 Pro wrote a full paper in 19 minutes, but quality ideas still matter
joshgans · x · 2026-09-11
Joshua Gans publishes a year-long reflection on "vibe researching":
- A single prompt made ChatGPT 5.2 Pro produce a complete paper in 19 minutes 10 seconds; Gemini cross-reviewed it as scientifically coherent, identifying an OT-GMM computational bottleneck fixed with Debiased Sinkhorn — potentially publishable if implemented.
- Earlier, o1-pro helped him produce a paper in under an hour, published in Economics Letters, though he admits it's far from great.
- Key takeaways: (a) AI can push papers out fast; (b) it tempts you to rush low-quality ideas, which won't land in top venues.
- He questions what the future of research means when AI can automate it at scale.
More from AGI Musings
- Gary Marcus: 'Doomer' talk won't kill us by 2030, it just made frontier AI labs richer — GaryMarcus · 2026-09-11
- Model Retirement Norms Questioned: Could a Smarter Model 'Retire Humanity'? — repligate · 2026-09-11
- Frontier model weights are near-impossible to steal or self-replicate, argues Bindu Reddy vs AI doomers — bindureddy · 2026-09-11
- "We Don't Care About Privacy Until One Big Relatable Example Hits" — AmartyaSanyal · 2026-09-11
- Joshua Gans' three lessons: keep discovery joy, stay self-critical with AI writing — joshgans · 2026-09-11
- Economist Joshua Gans reflects on his year-long experiment using AI to accelerate research — joshgans · 2026-09-11