New paper: passing Lean checks doesn't mean the original proof was correct — faithful translation is undecidable

rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-10-08

A new paper shows that when AI translates a math proof into Lean, passing the Lean check says nothing about whether the original proof is right. The authors demonstrate a chatbot turning a wrong proof into a valid Lean proof by silently fixing the error. Theoretically, deciding when a statement can be faithfully translated is provably harder than the Halting problem — so no AI translator can always do it. A key caveat for the current wave of Lean-certificated AI math results.

Related event: Cambridge paper argues Lean verification does not certify proofs, targeting OpenAI's Navier-Stokes claim(14 posts)→

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