OpenAI’s ‘shepherds’ affirm blockbuster physics result

OpenAI has publicly released an AI-generated proof of the "existence" of quantum Yang-Mills theory, a crucial foundation for the Standard Model of particle physics. A committee led by theoretical physicist David Gross verified the proof's formal verification in Lean and confirmed it proves the existence of pure Yang-Mills theory under standard problem statements. The proof addresses the first part of the Yang-Mills Millennium Prize Problem; the more difficult "mass gap" part remains unsolved. The committee admitted they do not fully understand the proof, but released the Lean code for community scrutiny. This "shepherding" approach has drawn criticism from some mathematicians who advocate for more open and timely sharing of results.

(Source：Scientific American)