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‘Immature playground boasting’: Mathematicians uneasy at OpenAI’s latest scalp

The Guardian UK Saturday 12 September 2026, 08:00 UTC By Ian Sample Science editor 1 min read
Key Points

As OpenAI model cracks Millennium Prize Problem that puzzled experts for decades, many feel shocked at pace of changeIt was a week that left mathematicians reeling. Hot on the heels of a flurry of cases of artificial intelligence furthering the field, OpenAI declared a major scalp: its latest AI model had cracked a Millennium Prize Problem, a puzzle with a $1m reward that had defied human brains for decades. The achievement bore little resemblance to how mathematical problems normally fall.

As OpenAI model cracks Millennium Prize Problem that puzzled experts for decades, many feel shocked at pace of change

It was a week that left mathematicians reeling. Hot on the heels of a flurry of cases of artificial intelligence furthering the field, OpenAI declared a major scalp: its latest AI model had cracked a Millennium Prize Problem, a puzzle with a $1m reward that had defied human brains for decades.

The achievement bore little resemblance to how mathematical problems normally fall. A near-trillion dollar private company had unleashed 10,000 agents – AI systems that carry out tasks autonomously – on the problem. The bill was estimated at $15m.

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Mathematicians (ORG) OpenAI (LOCATION) AI (ORG) a Millennium Prize Problem (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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