OpenAI says its internal model solved over 100 long-standing math problems after just a month of training

Facing growing criticism from mathematicians, OpenAI is setting up an independent advisory group of leading researchers in the field. But not before letting everyone know that a new internal model knocked out more than 100 long-standing math problems after just a month of training.

OpenAI says a new internal model has solved more than 100 long-standing problems across most areas of mathematics, on top of the Navier-Stokes Millennium Problem. The company dropped the claim while announcing a new math advisory group. According to OpenAI, training only kicked off on August 28, putting the entire run at about a month. Even the company’s own mathematicians were “surprised” by how fast things moved, and internal conversations have shifted to how to give the academic community enough warning to prepare. Among the solved problems is reportedly a second Millennium Prize Problem, the Hodge conjecture.Ad Which problems the model actually solved, how it solved them, and what the results mean for math and science remain open questions. The published Navier-Stokes solution has already sparked heated debate in parts of the scientific community.Ad The whole thing seems like a pivot. Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki recently said the team had deliberately chosen not to optimize for math and was focused on recursive self-improvement instead. Skeptics might read the publicity around solving famous math problems as a ploy to keep investors on board and attract new ones, especially since OpenAI admitted it only took on the Millennium Prize Problem after hearing rumors that another team, partly made up of Anthropic researchers, had already cracked it. Solving problems isn’t the same as understanding them OpenAI’s announcement is a direct response to criticism from mathematicians. In the open letter “A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics,” they warn against measuring AI performance by how many open problems it can solve. Churning out solutions, they argue, undermines conceptual understanding, which is the whole point of mathematics, and ultimately threatens human intellect.Ad OpenAI says it’s now working with mathematicians who have formed the Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, based at the Institute for Advanced Study. The group is meant to connect the company with the math community and the broader public. The company argues it needs this kind of guidance because math breakthroughs can have far-reaching practical uses, which makes responsible development a concern well beyond the field itself. OpenAI calls the collaboration a “first step,” with plenty of ” difficult questions ahead about how AI can support mathematical understanding and how the benefits of these capabilities can reach the wider community.”Ad OpenAI says the group will operate independently. Members can offer advice without being asked, speak publicly about the company’s influence on mathematics, and publish their recommendations.