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Nov 2, 2026

What it means when AI helps solve complex math problems

For starters, it can create a future in which students and professionals in the mathematics field change their preparation in order to work alongside the advanced tool, says Alex Kontorovich, distinguished professor of math at Rutgers University.

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What it means when AI helps solve complex math problems
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In September, OpenAI said that its models had solved one of math's famous Millennium Prize problems. Then, the lab dropped more than 700 papers tackling another 400 complex problems with more breakthroughs to come.

These developments have caused something of an existential crisis in the math world. But Alex Kontorovich, a professor of math at Rutgers University, says they're a gift.

More on this

“Sharing AI progress in mathematics” from OpenAI

“OpenAI Releases Findings on 377 Math Problems, Further Roiling Field” from The New York Times

“The Shape of Math To Come” from arXiv

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