OpenAI makes breakthrough in 80-year-old math problem with ‘ingenious ideas’
OpenAI has made a significant breakthrough by solving the planar unit distance problem, a geometry challenge that has puzzled mathematicians for 80 years. The company's model disproved the prevailing theory that a square grid was the optimal layout for maximizing pairs of equidistant points. Experts have praised the model's ability to generate original ideas, suggesting it demonstrates a level of creativity previously thought to be exclusive to human mathematicians.
- ▪OpenAI's model solved the planar unit distance problem first posed by Paul Erdős in 1946.
- ▪The model disproved the theory that a square grid was the best layout for maximizing pairs of equidistant points.
- ▪Experts noted that the model displayed creativity and intuition in arriving at its solution.
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World News OpenAI makes breakthrough in 80-year-old math problem with ‘ingenious ideas’ By Ronny Reyes Published May 21, 2026, 4:08 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google OpenAI claims its model solved a famous geometry problem that has eluded the world’s greatest mathematicians for 80 years — a breakthrough hailed as evidence of the bot’s creativity and “intuition.” The company published its findings on Wednesday, demonstrating that one of its models cracked the planar unit distance problem, first posed by legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946.
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