Although OpenAI claims to have used 10,000 AI agents to solve a mathematical challenge, actual mathematicians are vehemently protesting, alleging that OpenAI plagiarized their research findings.
Imagine there is a massive puzzle that humanity hasn’t been able to solve for decades. How would you feel if, one day, an artificial intelligence suddenly claimed, “I’ve solved it,” and handed you the answer in just a few days after thousands of geniuses had dedicated their entire lives to it without success? Would you feel awe, or fear?
A hot potato that has recently rocked the AI industry is raising precisely this question. On September 8, 2026, OpenAI announced that its internal AI system had found a solution to one of the seven great mathematical problems, the “Navier-Stokes equation” [Source: OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades]. However, instead of applause, sharp criticism and allegations of plagiarism are pouring in. What exactly is hidden behind this event, which could be called one of humanity’s greatest mathematical achievements?
Why is this problem important?
This isn’t merely the level of solving an exercise problem at the back of a math workbook. The Navier-Stokes equation is the mathematical foundation that explains fluid flow. Simply put, it translates how air or water moves into mathematics. This equation forms the bedrock of modern science and engineering, from weather forecasting to aircraft design and even blood flow analysis [Source: OpenAI and Navier-Stokes Explained! A Million Dollar Math… - YouTube].
If AI has perfectly solved this, humanity is entering a new era where we can have more precise weather forecasts or build far more efficient aircraft. But this controversy presents us with another dilemma: is it an ethical question of “Did the AI create results on its own without human intellectual effort?” or “Did it steal the fruits of decades of human research?” This incident starkly shows that technological progress is not just a blessing.
Simply put: If 10,000 geniuses solved a puzzle simultaneously
OpenAI’s approach was like an “alliance of geniuses.” They deployed approximately 10,000 “AI agents (AI systems that carry out tasks autonomously)” all at once [Source: OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades].
To use an analogy, instead of one genius mathematician struggling for 10 years to crack a complex code, they mobilized 10,000 AI agents to simultaneously calculate different possibilities. The 10,000 systems calculated non-stop for 88 hours and eventually found the solution [Source: OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades].
Of course, this process wasn’t free. It is reported that an astronomical cost of approximately $22.5 million was incurred just in terms of the computing resources deployed [Source: OpenAI’s Controversial Role in Solving the Navier-Stokes Problem].
Current Situation: The ‘Outrage’ of Mathematicians
However, the mathematical community remains cold. In particular, prominent mathematicians, including Tristan Buckmaster, strongly suspect that OpenAI did not achieve the result independently using AI, but rather plagiarized research findings already in progress by human mathematicians [Source: Techmeme: Mathematician Tristan Buckmaster alleges OpenAI…, OpenAI Just Solved the Biggest Problem in Mathematics- YouTube].
The core suspicion is, “How could the AI take the exact same approach at the exact same time as human researchers?” Critics are strongly protesting, questioning if OpenAI peeked at mathematicians’ chat logs or unpublished research data [Source: Can OpenAI’s math breakthrough be trusted? Mathematicians cry foul].
In response, OpenAI has flatly denied all allegations, stating that their researchers or models have never seen the mathematicians’ research contents [Source: Techmeme: OpenAI denies that its researchers or models saw…].
What will happen in the future?
This incident shows that AI has gone beyond the stage of a mere tool and has infiltrated “logical proof” and “academic discovery,” which we believed were uniquely human domains. At the same time, it has also heightened distrust regarding the sources and fairness of the data that AI learns from.
What we need to focus on going forward is whether the “computer-verifiable files” released by OpenAI can truly pass the rigorous verification of the mathematical community [Source: OpenAI and Navier-Stokes Explained! A Million Dollar Math… - YouTube]. Whatever the truth may be, this controversy will serve as a catalyst for establishing new rules regarding who should be credited for academic achievements in the AI era.
References
- Top mathematicians are outraged by OpenAI’s methods — Sözalt
- Can OpenAI’s math breakthrough be trusted? Mathematicians cry foul
- OpenAI’s Supposed Mathematical Breakthrough Devolves Into…
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[OpenAI claims to have solved maths problem that stumped humans for decades The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/08/openai-claims-to-have-solved-maths-problem-that-stumped-humans-for-decades) - Techmeme: OpenAI denies that its researchers or models saw…
- Techmeme: Mathematician Tristan Buckmaster alleges OpenAI…
- OpenAI and Navier-Stokes Explained! A Million Dollar Math… - YouTube
- OpenAI’s Controversial Role in Solving the Navier-Stokes Problem
- OpenAI Just Solved the Biggest Problem in Mathematics- YouTube
- Utilized only one large language model
- Utilized approximately 10,000 autonomous AI agents simultaneously
- Remote collaboration of 10,000 human mathematicians
- Because the AI's calculations were incorrect
- Due to suspicions that OpenAI plagiarized existing research findings from mathematicians
- Because the AI spent too little money solving the problem
- Approximately $2.25 million
- Approximately $22.5 million
- Approximately $225 million