People increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for reasoning, raising questions about the future of human judgment. Tri-System Theory is introduced to extend dual-process accounts of reasoning by adding a third system, System 3.

The car wash test evaluates AI reasoning by asking whether to walk or drive 50 meters to a car wash. Most leading AI models, including Claude Sonnet 4.5, GPT-5.1, Llama, and Mistral, fail to provide the correct answer, which is to drive.

Recent advancements in foundational models have produced reasoning systems that can achieve gold-medal standards at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Transitioning from competition-level problem-solving to professional research necessitates the ability to navigate extensive literature and construct long-form mathematical arguments.