OpenAI mistranslated mathematics into code for its Navier-Stokes proof
Mathematicians have identified a discrepancy between OpenAI's natural-language proof of the Navier-Stokes problem and its formalised Lean code version. Experts warn that AI-generated proofs require human verification, as auto-formalisation may not yet be a reliable substitute for peer review.
Why it matters
This highlights the limitations of AI in high-stakes scientific research and the potential risks of relying on automated systems for mathematical verification.
AI-generated proofs are often checked using a process called formalisation
OpenAI appears to have made a subtle error when publishing its proofs of the Navier-Stokes problem, a team of mathematicians has claimed. The error doesn't mean that the proofs are incorrect or that OpenAI hasn't correctly solved the problem, but it does call into question whether mathematical results generated by AI models can always be relied on.
“What has to be done with all of these large language model-generated proofs is that they will have to be read by humans, and this creates an enormous extra burden on mathematicians,” says Anders Hansen at the University of Cambridge.
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