The World, the Universe and Us

AI Just Solved One of the Hardest Problems in Mathematics

September 11, 2026·32 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Episode 398 OpenAI says it has just solved one of the hardest problems in mathematics. The Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem has been unsolved for more than 200 years. Now AI has cracked it, some claim we’ve finally reached “AGI” - artificial general intelligence. Navier-Stokes is one of the Millennium Prize Problems, chosen for being famously challenging. And as OpenAI sets its sights on solving more of these problems, what does it mean for the future of mathematics and even for the future of humanity? This comes as fear mounts over the safety of AI - supercharged by the resignation of a researcher from Anthrophic who believes AI companies are “gambling with our lives.”  So have we really reached AGI? Is this new solution a good thing for humanity? To discuss all of this, Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by Matthew Sparkes and Timothy Revell. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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