OpenAI says it cracked 90-year-old maths problem in 88 hours

OpenAI claims to have solved a 90-year-old mathematical problem using an advanced AI model that found a solution in just 88 hours. The company's researchers focused a group of about 10,000 AI agents on the Navier-Stokes equations, which concern fluid movement, and discovered a solution after approximately 88 hours. OpenAI describes the achievement as a "milestone" and an indication of the rapid improvement in AI tools.

However, the solution has yet to be independently verified or publicly accepted by the Clay Mathematics Institute, which offers a $1 million prize for solving certain mathematical problems. OpenAI's solution addresses two out of the four statements in the proof demanded by the Millennium Prize, but it is still pending acceptance.

The company has admitted that they were aware of rumors regarding the resolution of two Millennium Prize problems and decided to use their AI bots to work on the remaining problems. The process involved nearly 3 million messages and consumed 130 billion output tokens, costing roughly $10 million based on OpenAI's pricing. OpenAI claims that they are sharing the result to highlight the progress of their AI models and do not intend to claim the prize for this specific achievement.

However, the claim has sparked controversy as other mathematicians, Tristan Buckmaster and Levent Alpöge, have also been working on solutions for the Navier-Stokes problem using OpenAI's Codex tool. Buckmaster alleges that OpenAI became aware of their progress after the fact, which he claims violates OpenAI's stated methods. OpenAI has acknowledged concurrent work by Buckmaster and Alpöge, expressing gratitude and stating that no user data was accessed in their own work.