OpenAI claims AI solved an 80-year-old math problem with complex reasoning breakthrough

OpenAI claims it solved an 80-year-old math problem -- for real this time | TechCrunch

OpenAI claims its new reasoning model has produced an original mathematical proof disproving a famous unsolved conjecture in geometry, which was first posed by Paul Erdős in 1946. If this sounds familiar to you, it's because this isn't the first time OpenAI has made such a bold claim. Seven months ago, the AI giant's former VP Kevil Weil posted on X: "GPT-5 found solutions to 10 (!) previously unsolved Erdős problems and made progress on 11 others." It turns out, GPT-5 didn't actually solve those problems; it just found existing solutions that already existed in the literature. Taunts from rivals like Yann LeCun and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis followed, and Weil promptly took down his premature post. Today, at least, it seems OpenAI didn't make the same mistake twice. Alongside the announcement, OpenAI published companion remarks in support of the disproof from mathematicians like Noga Alon, Melanie Wood, and Thomas Bloom, who maintains the Erdos Problems website, and previously called Weil's post "a dramatic misrepresentation." "For nearly 80 years, mathematicians believed the best possible solutions looked roughly like square grids," OpenAI posted on X. "An OpenAI model has now disproved that belief, discovering an entirely new family of constructions that performs better." The company said this marks "the first time AI has autonomously solved a prominent open problem central to a field of mathematics." The proof, per OpenAI, came from a new general-purpose reasoning model, not a system specifically designed to solve math problems or even this problem in particular. OpenAI says this is significant because it means AI systems are now more capable of holding together long, difficult chains of reasoning and connecting ideas across fields in ways researchers may not have previously explored. That has implications for biology, physics, engineering, and medicine. "AI is helping us to more fully explore the cathedral of mathematics we have built over the centuries," Bloom said in a statement. "What other unseen wonders are waiting in the wings?"

ChatGPT solves 80 year old math problem that puzzled researchers for years

This announcement is interesting because OpenAI faced criticism last year after making a similar claim. OpenAI has once again made a big claim in the world of AI and mathematics. The company says that one of its latest AI reasoning models has successfully solved a famous geometry problem that remained unsolved for nearly 80 years. The problem was originally proposed by legendary mathematician Paul Erdos in 1946. This announcement is especially interesting because OpenAI faced criticism last year after making a similar claim. About seven months ago, former OpenAI VP Kevin Weil posted on X that GPT-5 had solved several unsolved Erdos problems. However, it was later found that the AI had only rediscovered solutions that already existed in mathematical research papers. That earlier claim led to criticism from well-known AI researchers like Yann LeCun and Demis Hassabis. Weil later deleted his post. This time, OpenAI appears to have taken extra care before making the announcement public. The company also shared supporting comments from respected mathematicians, including Noga Alon, Melanie Wood and Thomas Bloom. Also read: OpenAI introduces Guaranteed Capacity offering: What is it and what it promises 'For nearly 80 years, mathematicians believed the best possible solutions looked roughly like square grids,' OpenAI posted on X. 'An OpenAI model has now disproved that belief, discovering an entirely new family of constructions that performs better.' OpenAI says this is 'the first time AI has autonomously solved a prominent open problem central to a field of mathematics.' Also read: Google unveils new AI Ultra subscription with 20TB of cloud storage: What it offers and how much it costs The company also explained that the proof was generated by a general-purpose reasoning model rather than a system specially built for solving maths problems. According to OpenAI, this shows how modern AI systems are becoming better at handling long and difficult chains of reasoning. 'AI is helping us to more fully explore the cathedral of mathematics we have built over the centuries,' Bloom was quoted as saying in OpenAI's blogspot. 'What other unseen wonders are waiting in the wings?'