--- title: "Mathematicians Claim Significant Discovery Using ChatGPT" description: "A 23-year-old has apparently found the solution to a famous difficult math conjecture called an Erdős problems by prompting ChatGPT." date: "2026-05-02" modified: "2026-05-02" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/mathematicians-claim-significant-discovery-using-chatgpt" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" --- # Mathematicians Claim Significant Discovery Using ChatGPT ![A white robotic hand is positioned over a black abacus with black beads on wooden rods, set against a light background with a blue tint.]() *Getty / Futurism* Did ChatGPT just solve an arcane math problem that's foiled mathematicians for over sixty years? Some leading experts say yes, [*Scientific American* reports](). Earlier this month, 23-year-old Liam Price shared a solution to one of the so-called Erdős problems, a series of famously abstruse math conjectures left behind by the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. While some of these conjectures have gotten the better of savants in the field, Price, who has no advanced math degree, seemingly stumbled on a solution for one of them by simply prompting GPT-5.4 for an answer. While many AI-generated Erdős solutions have turned out to be a bust, experts who viewed Price's response — which was [posted to erdosproblems.com]() — say it's the real deal. "This one is a bit different because people did look at it, and the humans that looked at it just collectively made a slight wrong turn at move one," Terence Tao, a mathematician at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has become a prominent voice adjudicating on AI's tackling of math problems, told *SciAm*. Tao said that "there was kind of a standard sequence of moves that everyone who worked on the problem previously started by doing," but the AI took an unexpected approach by using a well-known formula that no one had thought to apply to this type of question, per *SciAm*. Tao [maintains a database]() of all the Erdős problems AI has helped "solve," but in most cases the AI simply dredged up an existing solution that hadn't been well known, or provided a proof that turned out not to be quite right. But this latest breakthrough could be an example of an AI truly "thinking" outside the box, overcoming the flawed hivemind that human math wizzes had fallen into. Still, it required humans to apply the finishing touches. "The raw output of ChatGPT's proof was actually quite poor. So it required an expert to kind of sift through and actually understand what it was trying to say," Jared Lichtman, a mathematician at Stanford University whose doctoral thesis centered on one Erdős's conjectures, told *SciAm*. "We have discovered a new way to think about large numbers and their anatomy," Tao enthused. "It’s a nice achievement. I think the jury is still out on the long-term significance." It's notable that experts in the field are enthusiastic about the ChatGPT solution, but it's worth proceeding with caution, as sometimes these claims don't pan out. In October, an OpenAI vice president Kevin Weil jumped on a claim that ChatGPT had come up with a solution for a another Erdős problem. It turned out not to be quite the accomplishment he thought it was — the AI drew from an existing solution — and Weil deleted his post claiming the breakthrough [after being viciously blasted by competitors](). **More on AI:** [*Top Medical Journal Publishes Searing Article Warning Against Medical AI*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()