OpenAI used an unreleased model to produce a resolution to the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem, one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems. The breakthrough has been marred by accusations from NYU professor Tristan Buckmaster, who claims OpenAI accessed their work after learning Anthropic mathematician Levent Alpöge had resolved a related problem—potentially using data from their Codex sessions.
Background
The Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem, one of Clay Mathematics Institute's seven unsolved problems with a $1M prize, concerns whether smooth solutions always exist for fluid dynamics equations. AI-assisted mathematical research has been an emerging trend, with models like Claude and Codex increasingly used by mathematicians.
- Source
- Simon Willison
- Published
- Sep 9, 2026 at 07:55 AM
- Score
- 9.0 / 10