AI Solves Open Problem in Statistics
danielrock · x · 2026-07-16
This post recounts a case where AI helped advance statistical research:
- The problem background involves controlling the FDR (false discovery rate) in multiple hypothesis testing.
- While the classic Benjamini-Hochberg method is widely used, its original proof relies on test data being mutually independent.
- Real-world high-throughput data is often correlated/dependent, making this an ongoing open problem.
- The quote claims that AI helped solve this major open problem in just 90 minutes. This was impossible for version 5.5, but capabilities significantly improved after upgrading to 5.6.
- More importantly, the breakthrough was quickly written up into a paper for others to study and verify.
This post demonstrates both the evolution of model capabilities and AI's practical role in statistical research.
Related event: GPT-5.6 Reportedly Found a BH Counterexample(8 posts)→
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