OpenAI says its models solved one of math's hardest problems as researchers cry foul

OpenAI said Tuesday that one of its unreleased artificial intelligence models had solved a mathematical puzzle that has eluded mathematicians for generations, in a claim which also drew a fight with rival researchers over credit. Researchers at OpenAI said it took just days – and millions of dollars in computing power – to crack what is known as the Navier-Stokes problem. Navier-Stokes is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems, a list of the hardest open questions in mathematics drawn up by the Clay Mathematics Institute. It concerns the equations describing how fluids such as air and water move, which are used in aircraft design, weather forecasting and the study of blood flow. OpenAI said its work showed that these equations are fatally flawed, answering the question as set out by the Millennium Prize. "This is a significant milestone for AI research, and its promise for the world is that even more of our hardest questions would become possible to answer," Mark Chen, OpenAI's chief research officer, told reporters. A photo of the OpenAI logo taken May 20, 2026. © Justin Sullivan, Getty Images North America via AFP In a blog post describing the breakthrough, OpenAI said it beg...