Has OpenAI model solved 80-year-old Navier-Stokes problem? Mathematician raises questions

OpenAI appears to have made a major claim about one of mathematics’ most famous unsolved problems, saying its reasoning AI generated a proof for the Navier-Stokes equations. But the proof remains private, while mathematicians involved in related research have questioned how OpenAI arrived at its result.

OpenAI's latest mathematical claim is drawing attention for a reason that goes well beyond the capabilities of its AI models. The company appears to have made progress on the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the most famous unsolved questions in mathematics. But while OpenAI's reported result could be significant, questions are already being raised about how the company arrived at it and whether researchers' earlier work played a role.

The controversy centres on a problem that has challenged mathematicians for generations. The Navier-Stokes equations describe how fluids such as air and water move, and mathematicians have yet to prove whether their solutions can always remain smooth or can instead develop singularities in finite time.

The problem is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems identified by the Clay Mathematics Institute. A complete solution carries a $1 million prize, putting Navier-Stokes among the most closely watched open questions in modern mathematics.