The artificial intelligence system, developed under the leadership of mathematician Dong Bin at Peking University, solved the algebra problem posed by University of Iowa professor Dan Anderson in 2014. Anderson passed away in 2022.
According to the researchers, artificial intelligence solved the problem by analyzing decades of mathematical literature and confirmed the result on its own. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed and has been published on the arXiv platform.
ACHIEVED WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION
According to the news in Mynet, the team stated that the system they developed solved an open problem in commutative algebra “with almost no human intervention” and formalized the proof automatically.
The system used in the research consists of multiple components. The reasoning engine called “Rethlas” develops solution strategies by making use of the theorem search engine called “Matlas”. Then, the second system called “Archon” turns this solution into a formal proof through “LeanSearch”.
The resulting proofs are verified on Lean 4, which is also a programming language and interactive theorem prover. This system is based on a large library containing hundreds of thousands of mathematical definitions and theorems.
HE COULD SOLVE IT IN 80 HOURS
Researchers stated that artificial intelligence solved the problem in approximately 80 hours of working time.
Scientists emphasized that mathematical proofs require high accuracy and that current artificial intelligence systems still run the risk of making errors or producing “hallucinations”. Despite this, it is stated that this developed approach provides a concrete example showing that mathematical research can be significantly automated.
According to the research, it is stated that the process can be accelerated even more if human guidance is added; It was noted that the new approach is promising in producing verifiable results by combining formal and informal reasoning systems.
