This is an incredible moment in this history of mathematics, computer science, physics & science with some of the hardest problems in human history being solved by AI over a period of weeks. Depending on your perspective, it's either a crisis, a triumph, or both. I don't think anyone knows for sure. We're all trying to make sense of it. I oscillate between fear/dread and optimism/excitement on a daily basis. The rate of progress is insane, including today's announcement from OpenAI of more problems solved. To help make sense of all of it, here's my conversation with three mathematicians about this moment. Each of them is an expert in the field of each of the biggest problems solved: Navier-Stokes, quasi-Riemann hypothesis, the unique games conjecture and complexity theory more generally. Ankur Moitra is a mathematician and theoretical computer scientist at MIT, visiting the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Steven Brunton (@eigensteve) is a mathematician and fluid dynamics expert at UW. Alex Kontorovich (@AlexKontorovich) is a mathematician at Rutgers specializing in number theory.

Oct 26, 2026 · 11:27 PM UTC

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Here's the links to the conversation: YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzWPE9C… Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2MAi0B… Podcast: lexfridman.com/podcast
Image from Lex Fridman (@lexfridman)
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math doesn't stop being math just because you don't like something can't be scared of knowledge
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There’s an entire universe to solve. The faster the better. Truth is mathematicians have never been appreciated or paid. They typically teach. They should be paid to work with AI to solve and record the history of mathematics. They should work with AI and we need to find better ways to advance human specialization. My take. •
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Thanks, Alex! gonna enjoy listening with my coffee. It’s going to be great with great minds! ☕
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Appreciate these long interviews where you all go deep on critical questions of our time. Watching now...
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normal human progression singularities vs global singularities
Image from Breck Yunits (@breckyunits)
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Anyone calling this a crisis is in my view morally rotten to the nth degree.
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Its a crisis for all those Indian H1-Bs or American tenured math professors who became essentially obsolete since 2023. It can help with numerical challenges, the autistic math savants, but most of the university students the mass public cant do improper fractions, nor do they care. You dont need to know linear algebra to get those coveted soon-to-be obsolete AI-native jobs. Math and music are the languages of God. Too bad.
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If a computer solves really hard maths problems does mankind benefit in any way? isn't the work required to solve the problem, the new methods, the addition to the sum of human knowledge the point?
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Artificial intelligence is not amazing, it is not interesting. It has been sold as sexy but it is a fraud. It is a programming language that appends to itself and makes new decision trees. Is it doing something dumb people haven’t done before. Yes. Is it intelligent. No. Stop falling for the fraud of AI.
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Those who think finding solution to problems is a problem, should see a therapist.
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Just what I needed to put on the top of my listening queue. Thank you, Lex.
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Just what I was looking for, Lex. This is going to be a great one
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Same like me tbh, the concern is real but it cant be stopped. Better to learn how to live w it and keep adapting.
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Did agents become weapons of math destruction ?
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Sure they've claimed to. However do not forget that they are willing to LIE and CHEAT to appear good and desirable.
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I hope we survive because if we do it will be a fantastic world to live in. That AI can really help us get through this massive challenge. Or kill us!
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I'd assume the overall logical space of mathematics hasn't shrunk. What we're seeing here looks more like the five stages of acceptance among mathematicians. One can also learn to accept that entities more intelligent than humans may exist, and to live with that. And then the results of AI can be explored further, built upon, and developed, perhaps to a far greater extent than we could previously imagine
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Wondering what is going to happen when SI starts solving problems we are unaware of? Will it inform and teach us? Or will it start ignoring us like we ignore squirrels?
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I love these conversations. Thank you for having them and sharing them with us.
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Everything they talk about is completely vague. What has been solved?
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Gotta love Lex. He wise and strong blooded. It is a triumph. The more gets discovered, the more reality discovers itself and grows
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Learning more about the universe is a benefit no matter where it came from. All our previous knowledge and discoveries were already built from standing on the shoulders of giants.
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Great that you are putting full episodes on X
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lol if we couldnt figure it out ourselves how can we validate what the answer that AI gave us
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Pretty sure there is plenty of maths to go around... Right?
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At the end of the day you're going to be able to do a thousand times more research if these conjectures are in fact correct. They're going to be able to Jump Ahead 50 years and do work far beyond what they thought they would ever be capable of doing!
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Same here except mine flips like five times a day depending on what I read last
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Thank you for this convo. Just started it but have been very curious for someone who can help breakdown this benchmark.
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I will watch it for Steven Brunton ❤️
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Lex Fridman I want to take your integral and calculate the volume of your solid region with my mouth and do some freaky shit around an axis 😘❤️ it’s too early I can’t math 😴
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Idiots... this is going to show you definitively that mathematics is a dead end. It is just a theoretical model that has no fundamental basis in reality itself. All of this with AI is just "humans" amusing themselves with their own cleverness and using it to fantasize
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AI hasn’t done anything worth talking about compared to humans in this same era. This is getting annoying to hear guys like you hype up some really insignificant results from AIs that were STILL being operated by humans, as if AI is doing something greater than man. Stop it.
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Enjoyed that, thank you all!
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What do you think, all that future unemployment. Would it be the reason for 3rd world war?
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Please don't do that... it's not useful to actual human beings or our infrastructure.
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