AI solves Navier-Stokes-related problem as machines upend mathematics, New Scientist reports
burny_tech · x · 2026-09-23
- A New Scientist feature traces AI's rapid advance into mathematics: after sporadic foundational discoveries earlier this year, progress has surged, with OpenAI recently solving a problem related to the Navier-Stokes equations, one of the field's most famous open challenges.
- Reactions are split: Helen Wilson at UCL admits she's in the "a bit terrified" camp, while Terence Tao has argued AI companies are harming mathematics.
- The piece argues the role of mathematicians, their workflows, and the field's norms will be fundamentally disrupted regardless of how far the progress continues — the deepest perturbation since the printing press and the digital computer.
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