Mathematicians question OpenAI's Navier-Stokes proof
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In September 2026, OpenAI released a 166-page potential proof of the Navier-Stokes problem, written in the Lean formal language; OpenAI said it was based on the ideas of mathematicians Diego Córdoba and Luis Martínez-Zoroa. The Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) then launched a review of the proof. On October 17, 2026, according to The Decoder, mathematicians raised objections to the proof, arguing that although it is presented in Lean formalized form, it is only superficially similar to—and substantively inconsistent with—the approach of Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa that OpenAI claimed. The CMI review is still ongoing, and it remains undetermined whether the proof can be considered valid progress.
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- The DecoderMathematicians say OpenAI doesn't understand its own Navier-Stokes proof
Mathematicians dispute OpenAI's 166-page potential proof of the Navier-Stokes problem published in September, arguing that although it is formalized in Lean, it only superficially resembles the approaches of Diego Córdoba and Luis Martínez-Zoroa as OpenAI claimed; the CMI is reviewing it.
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