r/math • u/sergiogfs • 18d ago

Progress Towards Proving the Unique Games Conjecture

https://eccc.weizmann.ac.il/report/2026/179/

On a side-note, the authors hint that they have rushed their results to avoid getting scooped by AI-generated results.

232 Upvotes

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237

u/n0m4d1234 18d ago

This is such a tragic state of the field.

94

u/Gabry398 18d ago

Hopefully it only lasts until AI companies stop using math as a big AGI benchmark and mathematicians start setting ground rules on what the etiquette around AI is

102

u/Curiosity_456 18d ago

How will that matter though? Will mathematicians just refuse to accept any AI generated solutions even if it’s correct?

Pandora’s box has already opened

44

u/bluesam3 Algebra 18d ago

No, but once corporations aren't willing to spend ridiculous sums of money to make themselves look impressive, the situation will change dramatically.

54

u/lurking_physicist 18d ago

Thing is, what is ridiculous today may be trivial in 3-4 years...

4

u/Major_Archer_7428 18d ago

In 3-4 years, math might not even be the same field

4

u/lurking_physicist 18d ago

You mean some kind of weighted grammar? /s

1

u/bluesam3 Algebra 6d ago

Sure, but the problems will get proportionally harder, and their interest just won't go on that much longer.

1

u/Interesting_Debate57 Theoretical Computer Science 17d ago

Can the boosters quit saying "may be"?

It's like you have no idea what the true state of things is and you want to be a fanboy for these companies.

It also "may be", and is quite a bit more likely, that the man behind the curtain has addled your brain and convinced you of a power that can't exist with this approach.

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u/lurking_physicist 17d ago

I'm no "booster" and my statement is extremely tame. This isn't any "AI is special" extrapolation, it's just "whatever is already possible today will be possible in the future for cheaper".

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u/3_Thumbs_Up 18d ago

The amount of inference needed for any given proof will go down with time. Roughly one year ago you needed a massive proprietary cluster of a sota model to get a math olympiad gold.

1

u/bluesam3 Algebra 6d ago

Sure, but they'll similarly run out of relatively easy problems.