An amateur solved a 60-year-old Erdős problem using a single GPT-5.4 Pro prompt; Terence Tao says it's a "nice achievement" with unclear long-term significance
A ChatGPT AI has proved a conjecture with a method no human had thought of. Experts believe it may have further uses
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Amateur Cracks 60-Year-Old Math Problem With One GPT Prompt
A non-mathematician used a single GPT-5.4 Pro prompt to solve a decades-old Erdős conjecture no human had cracked.
An amateur just did what professional mathematicians couldn't for six decades. Using a single prompt in GPT-5.4 Pro, they solved a longstanding conjecture originally posed by legendary mathematician Paul Erdős.
The AI didn't just brute-force it. ChatGPT produced a proof using a method no human had previously conceived. That's the part that has the math world buzzing.
Terence Tao — widely regarded as one of the greatest living mathematicians — acknowledged it as a "nice achievement" but stopped short of declaring it a watershed moment. He says the long-term significance remains unclear.
Other experts are more bullish. Mathematicians believe the approach GPT used could have broader applications beyond this specific problem.
The result raises a sharp question: if an amateur with the right AI tool can solve problems that stumped experts for 60 years, what does that mean for the future of mathematical research?