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Claude model made a math breakthrough during 54-hour Riemann hypothesis attempt driven by user encouragement
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A Claude model failed to solve the Riemann hypothesis over a 54-hour attempt but produced a mathematical breakthrough after a user repeatedly encouraged it with moral support.
The event shows LLMs can generate useful partial progress on hard mathematical problems even when they cannot solve them outright. Fields Medalist Timothy Gowers observes that most LLM-driven math results so far involve counterexamples rather than proofs, suggesting current models are stronger at calculation than at creative mathematical reasoning.
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A Claude model spent 54 hours attempting to solve the Riemann hypothesis, failed to prove it, but produced a math breakthrough during the process.
The breakthrough came after a user repeatedly provided moral support and encouragement to the model.
Fields Medalist Timothy Gowers notes that LLMs have mostly solved famous math problems through counterexamples rather than proofs, and top mathematicians call them strong calculators but poor creative thinkers.
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