OpenAI says 10,000 AI agents cracked one of math's hardest problems in 88 hours

OpenAI announced on Tuesday that one of its unreleased AI models successfully solved an ancient mathematical puzzle known as the Navier-Stokes problem, a question that has stumped mathematicians for generations. The claim sparked controversy with rival researchers who disputed the credit. The Navier-Stokes problem is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems, a list of the most challenging unsolved questions in mathematics compiled by the Clay Mathematics Institute.

It pertains to the equations describing fluid movement, which are crucial in aircraft design, weather forecasting, and blood flow studies. OpenAI's work demonstrated that these equations can break down over time, answering a key aspect of the Millennium Prize. Mark Chen, OpenAI's chief research officer, stated that this breakthrough marks a significant milestone for AI research, hinting at the potential to solve even more complex issues in the future.

The Millennium Prize Problems, each carrying a $1 million reward, have only one solution to date, solved in 2003. OpenAI clarified that it would not claim the prize money if the finding is confirmed, as per the prize rules, which require the solution to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and survive two years of scrutiny by the mathematical community before a committee considers it.