AI models are cracking conjectures that stumped humans for decades. Reactions in the math community range from shrugs to an existential crisis as the profession grapples with its own possible obsolescence. In May 2026, OpenAI published a counterexample to the "Unit Distance Conjecture," disproving a conjecture in geometric graph theory that had remained open since 1946. It was one of hundreds of open problems linked to Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos . AI had already helped solve other math problems, including other Erdos problems, but many mathematicians considered this the most significant example yet. Just one week later, human researchers adapted the core proof technique and used it to disprove another major conjecture . Since then, the floodgates have been open, and barely a day goes by without more news about AI in mathematics . Models are finding counterexamples, spotting broader patterns, and helping researchers turn arguments into machine-checkable proofs. Epoch AI, the research group best known for its demanding "FrontierMath" AI benchmark , recently announced the second solution in "FrontierMath: Open Problems," a test drawn from major unsolved questions in math. OpenAI's new Astra model also appears designed for this work: The lab introduced it with ten solutions of varying difficulty. Abhishek Saha, a math professor at Queen Mary University of London, writes on X , "At the moment, in my area of research mathematics, frontier AI models are at least as good as a solid and indefatigable PhD student." Saha spent a full day using GPT-5.5 Pro for routine work that would previously have taken weeks. The experience left him "increasingly playing the role of conductor, rather than doubling up as the whole orchestra." Saha said most mathematicians don't realize this is already possible, and he expects the field to split over how it responds. "Some will adapt soon, and find boundless possibilities," he wrote. He expects others to resist, adding, "Other academics will continue to be AI-sceptical until the very end, like the folklore hero John Henry." The American folk hero worked himself to death competing against a steam drill. Saha represents a group of researchers who treat AI as a productivity tool rather than an attack on their field. Writing in The Conversation , mathematician Trefor Bazett says AI and human ingenuity could usher in a new golden age of mathematics. He cites an April 2026 paper from a team of Carnegie Mellon University mathematicians that solved an open problem in Ramsey theory by combining SAT solvers, code generated by language models, and formal proof verification. The paper explicitly connects that result to a "golden age" that Fields Medal winner Timothy Gowers predicted in 2000 . Gowers imagined computers handling routine checks while mathematicians focused on deeper ideas. "In other words, computers would still do the boring bits for us, but these would not be quite as boring as they are now," he wrote. The Carnegie Mellon researchers believe that period has now begun. "We believe that we are now entering this golden age, thanks to the combination of several technologies," they write.