News Math

A human set a new mathematical record. Then AI came for it

Years of work on a problem about gaps in prime numbers was instantly eclipsed by machines

Mathematicians have long studied patterns in the gaps between prime numbers. Now AI is joining in.

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By Dana Mackenzie

On the last day of August, a human mathematician kicked off a flurry of advances on one of the most famous problems in number theory — and was almost instantly superseded by AI.