The Download: OpenAI’s turning point for math and a battery record
OpenAI claims its AI agents have solved a major mathematical problem, though the achievement is clouded by credit disputes. Meanwhile, US battery storage capacity reached a record high in Q2 2026, driven by the transition to renewable energy.
Why it matters
These developments illustrate the dual-edged nature of AI progress in academia and the rapid scaling of infrastructure needed for the green energy transition.
Plus: The US has accused six Chinese AI firms of “industrial-scale” theft.
This is today's edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.
OpenAI says its agents have solved one of the most important open problems in mathematics. Under normal circumstances, that would be a huge milestone. But the announcement has been overshadowed by accusations that OpenAI failed to credit researchers whose AI-assisted work influenced its solution.
Whether those accusations are true or not, the episode may mark a turning point in the history of mathematics. AI models now seem essential for making progress on the field’s most important problems, but solving them may demand resources available only to a couple of frontier AI companies.
If that’s the future we are headed for, it is unclear how human mathematicians will fit into it.
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