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AI Breakthrough: 11 Erdos Problems Solved, Skepticism Remains

1/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

In January 2026, the AI start-up Harmonic announced that its technology, Aristotle, solved an Erdos problem with help from OpenAI's GPT-5.2 Pro.
Mathematician Terence Tao expressed skepticism about AI's understanding of the problem, suggesting it may only replicate existing solutions.
Since Christmas, 15 Erdos problems have been solved, with AI credited in 11 instances.
Tao acknowledged AI's progress on simpler problems, while software engineer Neel Somani highlighted GPT-5.2's effectiveness in solving open math problems.

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Story summary

In January 2026, the AI start-up Harmonic announced that its technology, Aristotle, solved an Erdos problem with help from OpenAI's GPT-5.2 Pro.
Mathematician Terence Tao expressed skepticism about AI's understanding of the problem, suggesting it may only replicate existing solutions.
Since Christmas, 15 Erdos problems have been solved, with AI credited in 11 instances.
Tao acknowledged AI's progress on simpler problems, while software engineer Neel Somani highlighted GPT-5.2's effectiveness in solving open math problems.