OpenAI Releases 700+ Solutions to Open Problems — Mathematicians Despair

On October 6, 2026, OpenAI released more than 700 manuscripts on GitHub, claiming to have solved hundreds of open mathematical problems. The range covers: the Unit Distance Conjecture, the Navier-Stokes equations, a weakened variant of the Riemann Hypothesis (quasi-RH), and problems in probability theory. The global scientific community's reaction: more than a hundred scientists have published opinions, ranging from admiration to acute despair.

The groundwork had been building for months. Since July 2026, the systems have demonstrated unprecedented breakthroughs. The Unit Distance Conjecture fell first, then the Navier-Stokes equations. OpenAI's Astra model showed ten solutions to open problems. The scale of the October release far exceeded previous achievements.

Reactions at the pinnacle of science

Peter Scholze warns of the risk of breaking cryptography: "The difficulty of finding such algorithms is not much greater than what these systems are now capable of." Terence Tao called October 6 "possibly the single most important day in the history of mathematics" — but clarified: the system did not solve the Riemann Hypothesis itself, only a weakened variant of it. "This is huge! But it is not the Riemann Hypothesis."

Ben Green called the results "absolutely shocking": OpenAI had resolved three-quarters of the research goals covered by his European grant (June 2026). Another researcher recognized his own techniques, developed over years, being used by OpenAI to solve two completely different problems. "I am stunned."

Existential crisis

Hugo Duminil-Copin, 2022 Fields Medalist: "I expected systematic superiority. But the announcement hit with unexpected force. OpenAI made claims about every major problem I had publicly discussed." Shock bordering on paralysis.

A mathematician who had worked on a problem for four years described it with a metaphor: "Four years of archaeological excavation of a beautiful dinosaur skeleton, then a trillion-dollar company blew it up with dynamite, handed over the skeleton, and drove off."

Vera Chu, drawn into science by a problem in probability theory: "My personal love of mathematical thought remains mine, but my ability to shape professional work... I feel absolute disgust toward society."

David Humbert learned that morning that his dissertation hypothesis had allegedly been proven. Sadness, then panic about postdoctoral positions. Reading the paper provoked anger: "Unreadable garbage."

Critics emphasize a systemic violation of norms: OpenAI withheld author names and data on errors. The recurring theme of the discussion: "How much beauty have we lost?"

Rare voices of optimism

Danny Calegari, who has followed his personal curiosity for 15 years, was unaffected. He is collaborating with a musician on a soundtrack for a mathematical animation, using Claude (Anthropic).

The Association for Human Mathematics has called for a boycott of OpenAI. 25 Fields Medalists, including Tao and Scholze, issued a warning about the misalignment between the goals of the AI industry and mathematics. Tao proposed a "Math 2.0" era, in which problem-solving is no longer the central focus of the discipline.