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OpenAI makes breakthrough on 80-year-old maths problem

The Guardian Tech Thursday 21 May 2026, 16:24 UTC By Dan Milmo and Ian Sample 1 min read
Key Points

OpenAI has announced a significant advancement in AI reasoning after its technology successfully addressed an 80-year-old mathematical challenge. The breakthrough relates to the planar unit distance problem, which was first posed by mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946.

Company says work on Paul Erdős planar unit distance problem shows advance in AI reasoning

OpenAI has claimed a further advance in AI reasoning after its technology successfully tackled an 80-year-old maths problem.

The company behind ChatGPT said it had made a breakthrough with a challenge first posed by Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946: the planar unit distance problem.

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Originally published by The Guardian Tech Read original →

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