In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the “unit distance conjecture” had just been resolved by generative AI.

Since then, there has been a steady drumbeat of new results that either partially or completely leverage artificial intelligence to solve research-level mathematics problems. However, most new math results published in any given month are still generated by humans.

So where is this going? How good, and how quickly, will AI capabilities grow? Will most mathematical research be predominantly artificial intelligence? Or, as some mathematicians suggest, will AI combine with human ingenuity and other computer tools to create a golden age of mathematics?

A list of unsolvable problems

One of the most prolific mathematicians of the 20th century was Hungarian Paul Erdős, known for the breadth of his collaborations with mathematicians across many sub-fields.

Throughout his career, he proposed hundreds of unsolved problems that today are known as Erdős problems. This list is a tempting place to start for any AI company wishing to show it can solve problems in mathematics.

Over the........

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