Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
OpenAI’s AI models are taking on major scientific and mathematical problems that humans have been trying to solve for decades. In a recent blog post, the company claims its AI models have made three major breakthroughs in mathematics, computer science, and physics. And among them, the most striking claim is that its AI has disproved the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH), a long-standing assumption that researchers have used for decades to understand how difficult certain computing problems are.
advertisement
If the claim holds up to independent scrutiny, it could change how computer scientists think about the limits of computation. OpenAI says its models have also produced a proof related to the Kakeya conjecture in mathematics and a mathematical existence proof for certain quantum field theories, including Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD).
OpenAI says AI has disproved ETH
The Exponential Time Hypothesis is an assumption that helps researchers estimate how difficult certain computational problems are to solve. It is closely related to Boolean formula satisfiability, including the famous 3-SAT problem, where a computer must determine whether a logical formula can be made true.
For years, researchers have used ETH to show that certain problems are unlikely to have fast solutions. These findings have applications across fields such as graph theory, computational biology and databases.
OpenAI says its AI model produced a disproof of ETH on October 16, which was formalised using Lean the following day. Lean is a computer tool that checks whether a mathematical proof follows its formal rules. However, a Lean-verified result still needs to be examined to understand exactly what has been proved and what it means.
OpenAI has published the AI-generated explanation and formal proof and dumped them on GitHub. It has also brought in computer scientists Russell Impagliazzo, Ramamohan Paturi and Ryan Williams to lead a group examining the result. The company says it will fund a conference to discuss the claim and its possible implications.
From wave mathematics to quantum physics
OpenAI’s second claim concerns the local smoothing conjecture, a mathematical problem related to how waves behave when they focus. The company says its AI has proved the conjecture in every dimension. According to OpenAI, this would also resolve the Kakeya conjecture and Stein’s restriction conjecture in all dimensions.
The third claim comes from theoretical physics. OpenAI says its models have produced mathematical proofs establishing the existence of certain quantum field theories, including QCD, which describes how particles such as quarks and gluons interact through the strong force. The work also includes a result concerning pure Yang-Mills theory, part of a famous Millennium Prize problem.
OpenAI wants scientists to examine the results
OpenAI says it is working with external experts to help scientists understand and examine its AI-generated discoveries. “We reached out to external experts and asked them to act as shepherds, organising groups to understand the new results.” As per the AI firm, these experts are helping assess the findings and explain their significance to the wider scientific community. The company has also pledged to support scientists through funding for conferences and research programmes.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
