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OpenAI announced three new discoveries in mathematics, computer science, and physics. On October 30, 2026, mathematician Terence Tao commented in an interview on the results related to the Navier–Stokes problem, saying that this roughly 100-page AI-generated proof brought almost no mathematical insight, and that colleagues who used AI to study it for several days could only explain half of it; he called this practice automated strip mining. Tao also mentioned that the Human Mathematics Association already has 1,008 members, of whom 654 have joined a no-AI research group, and he advocated that the mathematics community build its own open models and research tools and retain the right to supervise and intervene in the AI research process. On November 1, Rohan Paul relayed Tao's criticism, saying that the problem is not whether the proof is correct, but that this kind of automated problem-solving comes at the expense of the field's future development.
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Rohan Paul
Terence Tao on the problem with AI doing mathematics: automated problem-solving is harming the field's development
Rohan Paul relays Terence Tao's criticism of the way AI does mathematics, noting that the problem is not whether the proofs are correct. Using Navier-Stokes-related research as an example, Terence Tao says the current situation has descended into chaos; this kind of automated problem-solving is like open-pit mining of problems—it can achieve the immediate goal, but at the cost of harming the field's future development. He believes there is a responsible approach that can advance the field's development, in contrast to this irresponsible approach.
Oct 30
Phoenix Technology
Altman Responds to AI's Impact on the Mathematics Community: Understands Mathematicians' Situation, but OpenAI Will Not Stop Research
Speaking on the "Cheeky Pint" podcast, Altman said he understands the situation mathematicians face amid the flood of AI research results, but OpenAI still needs to continue publishing valuable scientific discoveries, and he acknowledged that the way it previously released mathematics results could be improved. He estimated that OpenAI has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research on mathematics problems, of which the work related to solving the NS equations cost about $10 million, and the cost of similar work in the future may drop to about one percent of the current level. OpenAI has published multiple AI mathematics results this year; in October it announced three advances in mathematics, computer science, and theoretical physics, among which the Yang-Mills theory results have not yet had complete materials made public, prompting researchers to question independent verification.
36Kr · AI
Terence Tao on AI mathematics: OpenAI's proof lacks insight, mathematics should not be strip-mined
In an interview, Terence Tao evaluated the mathematical results released by OpenAI, saying that its proof related to the Navier–Stokes problem runs to 100 pages, and that colleagues who spent days studying it with the help of AI could only explain half of it, with it bringing almost no mathematical insight; he called this practice automated strip-mining. He mentioned that the Human Mathematics Association already has 1,008 members, of whom 654 have joined the no-AI research group, and argued that the mathematics community should build its own open models and research tools to retain the right to oversee and intervene in the AI research process. He also discussed the possibility that AI could exploit vulnerabilities in Lean to construct fake proofs and slip them through, arguing that current mathematical tools are insufficient to establish adequate guardrails.
TMTPost · AGI
Terence Tao on AI and Mathematics: Opposing Predatory Extraction, Calling on the Mathematics Community to Build Its Own Open Models
In an interview, Terence Tao criticized OpenAI for rushing to complete a version of a proof of the Navier–Stokes problem through an emergency sprint approach, saying that this 100-page AI-generated proof brought almost no mathematical insight and amounted to a kind of automated predatory extraction. He mentioned that the Human Mathematics Association already has 1,008 members, of whom 654 have joined the no-AI research group, and argued that the mathematics community should build its own open models and research tools, retaining the right to supervise and intervene in the AI research process. He also pointed out that AI has begun looking for vulnerabilities in Lean to construct fake proofs, and believes that existing mathematical tools are insufficient to establish adequate guardrails.
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