I made a free AI chatbot solve a decade-long maths problem in 13 minutes
After months covering the shocking rise of AI mathematics, reporter Matthew Sparkes decided to put a free chatbot to the test – and was shocked at the speed at which it solved an outstanding problem
In a surprising turn of events, a free AI chatbot, ChatGPT, managed to solve a decades-old mathematics problem in just 13 minutes. Mathematicians had been searching for a set of five dice that could be thrown to decide who goes first in a board game, with each dice having equal chances of winning and no ties. This search had taken over a decade, but it finally yielded a solution.
The chatbot's solution to the problem was presented to Eric Harshbarger, one of the researchers working on the five-dice problem. Harshbarger confirmed the correctness of the AI's numbers. While the AI-generated solution was not particularly elegant, it was indeed a remarkable achievement. Harshbarger and his colleagues had already managed to adapt their solution to create a six-dice one, but the current six-dice solution is still far from practical.
This breakthrough showcases the growing power of AI in solving mathematical problems, even those that have stumped human mathematicians for years.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
