Live Feeds
● LIVE Updated 37m ago · 16 sources tracked

AI Just Solved a 350-Year-Old Math Problem By Writing the Longest Proof Ever

OpenAI announced Tuesday that an artificial intelligence model solved the Navier-Stokes equations, one of the seven Millennium Problems in mathematics, after deploying thousands of agents for 88 hours. The milestone is shadowed by an academic dispute. A rival professor accuses OpenAI of improperly using his research team's work, attempting to strongarm him into helping, and threatening him. OpenAI denies these allegations. Independent mathematicians will now review the paper to verify the proof. Meanwhile, Fields Medalist Terence Tao warns that artificial intelligence is solving mathematical challenges faster than researchers can replace them, pointing to a competitive race between OpenAI and Anthropic.

RSS Source map (16)

What changed

OpenAI officially claimed it solved the Navier-Stokes problem using 10,000 AI agents over 88 hours, while facing direct accusations of academic theft from an NYU professor.

Live updates

  1. OpenAI Claims AI Solved Navier-Stokes Problem Amid Controversy

    OpenAI announced Tuesday that an artificial intelligence model solved the Navier-Stokes equations, one of the seven Millennium Problems in mathematics, after deploying thousands of agents for 88 hours. The milestone is shadowed by an academic dispute. A rival professor accuses OpenAI of improperly using his research team's work, attempting to strongarm him into helping, and threatening him. OpenAI denies these allegations. Independent mathematicians will now review the paper to verify the proof. Meanwhile, Fields Medalist Terence Tao warns that artificial intelligence is solving mathematical challenges faster than researchers can replace them, pointing to a competitive race between OpenAI and Anthropic.

    Why it matters

    The Navier-Stokes equations model fluid flow and represent a legendary mathematical puzzle that has stumped experts for decades. OpenAI's achievement follows a separate milestone by Anthropic, where Claude spent 11 days formalizing Fermat's Last Theorem into 13 million lines of machine-checkable code. These parallel developments signal an accelerated shift toward automated mathematical discovery.

    What is confirmed

    • OpenAI stated on Tuesday that its artificial intelligence technology solved one of the Millennium Problems.
    • The solved problem involves the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe fluid flow.
    • OpenAI claims the task was completed by deploying 10,000 AI agents in 88 hours.
    • Independent mathematicians outside the company will review the paper.
    • OpenAI denies allegations that it improperly used work from another research team or sought to deny credit.

    Still unconfirmed

    • An NYU academic claims OpenAI cribbed his work on the decades-old math problem and then threatened him after attempting to strongarm him into helping.

    What to watch next

    • Independent mathematicians completing their review of OpenAI's Navier-Stokes proof paper.
    • Further developments or evidence regarding the credit dispute between OpenAI and the NYU professor.
    Sources used for this update (7)
    1. us.cnn.com — OpenAI says it has solved one of math’s “Millennium Problems”
    2. www.nbcnews.com — OpenAI says it solved one of math’s hardest problems, but controversy taints the milestone
    3. nypost.com — OpenAI says it cracked decades-old math problem — but professor claims they cribbed his work and then threatened him
    4. www.sciencenews.org — AI may have solved one of math’s biggest puzzles, raising controversy
    5. decrypt.co — AI Is Solving Math's Best Problems Faster Than They Can Be Replaced, Terence Tao Warns
    6. www.techspot.com — OpenAI claims 10,000 of its AI agents solved one of mathematics' hardest problems in 88 hours
    7. theconversation.com — OpenAI claims another huge mathematical result amid fights over credit, ethics and privacy
    confidence 90%

  2. OpenAI Claims AI Solution to Millennium Prize Problem Amid Credit Dispute

    OpenAI announced Tuesday that an unreleased AI model solved a Millennium Prize Problem involving the Navier-Stokes equations. The model demonstrated that these fluid flow equations can sometimes blow up. This follows a separate achievement by Anthropic's Claude, which spent 11 days formalizing Fermat's Last Theorem into a machine-checkable proof of 13 million lines of code. While some compare the Navier-Stokes result to Deep Blue's 1997 victory over Garry Kasparov, the claim is contested by a rival mathematician who asserts he reached the solution first.

    Why it matters

    Millennium Prize Problems carry a 1 million dollar reward for their solution. Formalizing a proof means translating mathematical logic into code that a computer can verify for absolute accuracy.

    What is confirmed

    • OpenAI claims an unreleased AI model solved a mathematical puzzle that has eluded mathematicians for generations.
    • The OpenAI result shows that Navier-Stokes equations describing fluid flow can sometimes blow up.
    • Anthropic's Claude formalized Fermat's Last Theorem in 11 days by making the existing proof machine-checkable.

    Still unconfirmed

    • NYU's Tristan Buckmaster claims he solved the Navier-Stokes proof first and accuses OpenAI's Sebastien Bubeck of racing to claim credit.

    What to watch next

    • Verification of the Navier-Stokes proof by independent mathematicians
    • Official determination of the 1 million dollar prize award
    • Public release of the unreleased OpenAI model used for the proof
    Sources used for this update (5)
    1. www.scientificamerican.com — AI may have just solved a million-dollar math problem. The field will never be the same
    2. decrypt.co — OpenAI Says It Solved a $1M Math Problem. A Rival Mathematician Says He Did It First
    3. www.quantamagazine.org — AI Has Solved One of Math’s $1 Million Millennium Prize Problems
    4. www.zmescience.com — An AI Formalized and Verified Fermat’s Last Theorem in 11 Days, a Task Expected to Take Years
    5. www.yahoo.com — OpenAI says AI solved one of math's hardest problems in days
    confidence 90%

  3. AI Agents Formalize Fermat's Last Theorem

    Artificial intelligence agents have solved a 350-year-old mathematical problem by formalizing Fermat's Last Theorem. The process took 11 days to complete, a task that would normally take human mathematicians years. Anthropic utilized its Claude system to accomplish the feat, generating a proof that totals over 13 million lines of code. This achievement represents the longest proof ever written.

    Why it matters

    Fermat's Last Theorem is a famous mathematical problem dating back centuries. Formalizing such a massive proof through AI demonstrates a massive leap in computational mathematics. The resulting code volume highlights the unprecedented scale of machine-generated proofs.

    What is confirmed

    • Anthropic used Claude to formalize Fermat's Last Theorem.
    • The AI agents completed the task in 11 days.
    • The resulting proof totals over 13 million lines of code.

    What to watch next

    • Further peer review or analysis of the 13-million-line proof by human mathematicians.
    • Additional announcements from Anthropic regarding the application of Claude to other complex mathematical problems.
    Sources used for this update (5)
    1. Decrypt — AI Just Solved a 350-Year-Old Math Problem By Writing the Longest Proof Ever
    2. Anthropic — Formalizing Fermat's Last Theorem
    3. New Scientist — Fermat’s last theorem formalised by AI agents in just 11 days
    4. siliconangle.com — Anthropic uses Claude to formalize proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem
    5. Inshorts — Claude formalises Fermat's Last Theorem in 11 days, task that would take humans yrs | The proof totals over 13 million lines of code | Inshorts
    confidence 100%