3SUM record falls to O(n^1.921), Lean-verified — but will it yield usable algorithms?
iskander · x · 2026-10-16
Iskander quotes a verified record from the OpenAI proofdump: 3SUM's upper bound pushed to O(n^1.921), formally verified in Lean.
His pointed take: the proofdump will deliver asymptotic improvements far beyond what people suspected possible across many fundamental problems — yet zero new usable algorithms. Theory records are soaring while practical algorithm design stays flat, a telling gap between AI-assisted proving and genuine algorithmic insight.
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