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A model conjectures a gluon formula and then proves it

development2026-02-16

Claim

OpenAI used GPT-5.2 Pro to conjecture a new formula for gluon scattering amplitudes, then had a scaffolded version spend twelve hours producing a formal proof, with Andy Strominger reportedly calling it the first time he had seen AI solve a problem in his kind of physics that might not have been solvable by humans.

Reported metric: 12 hours

Reporting date: 2026-02-16 (not necessarily the event date)

Sources

Attribution and reporting linked by this record; links do not imply independent verification.

Welcome to February 16, 2026 (theinnermostloop.substack.com)

Conjecture and proof in one run — the two halves of doing physics, not just the second.

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Welcome to February 16, 2026

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Seven people on Earth can still beat it at competitive programming

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Citation formatCitation text

A model conjectures a gluon formula and then proves it
Innermost Loop KB — secondary record
Reporting date: 2026-02-16
KB permalink: https://nicholsn.github.io/innermost-loop-kb/developments/2026-02-16-gluon-amplitude-conjectured-and-proved
Claim: OpenAI used GPT-5.2 Pro to conjecture a new formula for gluon scattering amplitudes, then had a scaffolded version spend twelve hours producing a formal proof, with Andy Strominger reportedly calling it the first time he had seen AI solve a problem in his kind of physics that might not have been solvable by humans.
Attributed sources:
- Welcome to February 16, 2026 — https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/p/welcome-to-february-16-2026
This citation does not imply independent verification of linked-source claims.

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