It turns out that OpenAI could be really good to computers.
On Monday, the company said it had put an end to the exponential time hypothesis, or ETH, a nearly 30-year-old belief in the computing community that certain logic problems take enormous amounts of time as they develop. Hours later, Anthropic published its own research refuting ETH.
OpenAI said it had asked a group of external computer scientists to organize an open review of its claim. The researchers stressed that their involvement does not constitute an endorsement.
If the announcements from AI laboratories are confirmed, they will probably restart the hunt for increasingly efficient algorithms – what computer scientists largely thought could not be much better.
This ultra-nerdy claim has been a huge topic of conversation on social media and in tech circles. Here’s how some thought leaders reacted to OpenAI’s announcement:
Ryan Williams, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT
Williams, one of three independent algorithm design experts studying OpenAI’s claims, has not certified the company’s findings.
He wrote on
In more practical terms, Williams said the claimed breakthrough could lead to “faster algorithms.”
He has previously stated that he does not believe in ETH.
Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at NYU
Marcus, a frequent AI skeptic, wrote that this could be “a big deal if it’s correct,” on X.
John D. Cook, Ph.D. and technical consultant in applied mathematics
In a blog post, Cook said OpenAI’s claims, while impressive, don’t ultimately answer computer science’s biggest open question.
“The status of P = NP is still unknown,” he writes. “Although 3-SAT does not take exponential time, it still takes more than polynomial time, to our knowledge.”
Joshua Fonseca Rivera, AI security researcher at Anthropic
Rivera wrote on X that OpenAI’s new claim was a reminder that humans might have underestimated a computer’s intelligence.
“This bitter lesson should come as no surprise,” he wrote. “I know that logically, but…wow, we really don’t know anything.”
Timothy Gowers, full professor at the Collège de France and Fields Medalist mathematician
Gowers wrote a blunt take on X about the development: “Very surprising and consequential that it is false. »
Dan Shipper, CEO of Every
Shipper, the CEO of an AI tech startup, wrote on X what everyone was thinking…
“I regret not getting a doctorate in frontier mathematics,” he said. “(Not that I ever considered buying one, but still).”
Gn bussni
