By Victor Tangermann
Publication Date: 2026-06-06 10:00:00
Earlier this year, a 23-year-old with no formal math training made headlines when he claimed he had used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to solve one of the “Erdős Problems” – a database of challenging guesses left behind by Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős.
Then, last month, scientists were stunned when OpenAI claimed its AI had disproved an 80-year-old conjecture about “unit distance,” also made by Erdős.
“This is the first time that AI has autonomously solved a prominent open problem of central importance to a field of mathematics,” OpenAI boasted at the time.
But whether the groundbreaking AI models that power tools like ChatGPT really represent a major leap in our ability to solve problems that have plagued mathematicians for decades remains hotly debated among experts.
In a new statement signed by over 150 math experts from around the world, a new statement signed by over 150 math experts from around the world warned governments not to believe the hype when it comes to AI’s capabilities,…
