Testing if Weaker Models Can Replicate Frontier Discoveries with Hints
danshipper · x · 2026-08-03
Before boarding a flight, the author tasked GPT-5.6 (note: likely an unofficial alias or typo) with a challenge: given a hint involving algebraic number theory, can it reproduce Astra's previous proof of Erdős's planar unit distance conjecture?
The author's broader theory is that weaker models can often reproduce frontier-model discoveries if provided with the right conceptual hints, as a stronger model's advantage largely lies in exploring and finding the right direction. The author later posted "i broke it lol," implying the test resulted in an interesting crash or failure.
Related event: Prompt Distance: Can Weaker Models Reproduce Frontier Proofs?(6 posts)→
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