GPT-5.6 Suggested a Solution to a 30-Year Convex Optimization Problem

A report that the language model GPT-5.6 had helped close a long-standing gap in the theory of convex optimization appeared on the r/math forum on Reddit. According to the post, the problem in question had remained unsolved for thirty years.

Those taking part in the discussion tie the achievement to a recent OpenAI announcement concerning a proof of the CDC (the abbreviation is expanded in different ways depending on the context of the discussion). In their telling, the solution was obtained thanks to a well-formulated prompt given to the GPT-5.6 model.

The news drew a notable response in the community: on the aggregator Hacker News the post gathered 164 points and prompted 83 comments. Users discussed both the mathematical substance of the claimed result and the broader question of the role of large language models in solving open scientific problems.

Details of the proof itself, as well as independent verification of the result by the mathematical community, are not provided in the available description. The discussion centers mainly on the fact that an AI model was used as a tool for generating or checking a solution, rather than on the technical content of the problem itself.

Cases in which language models suggest nontrivial steps toward solving mathematical problems have been attracting more and more attention of late — from researchers and from the wider audience following the advancing capabilities of modern AI systems alike.

Source: Hacker News