AI physics startup PSI says its non-public Anthropic model solves the 2008‑old Aaronson‑Ambainis quantum conjecture
anthropic startup
| Source: Techmeme | Original article
AI physics startup PSI reports that a system using a non‑public Anthropic model has proved the Aaronson‑Ambainis conjecture, a quantum‑computing problem open since 2008.
Physical Superintelligence (PSI), an AI‑native physics laboratory, announced on 6 November that its internal research system has produced a complete, Lean‑verified proof of the Aaronson‑Ambainis conjecture. The conjecture, posed by Scott Aaronson and Andris Ambainis in 2008, is a central open problem in quantum complexity theory that limits when quantum computers can achieve exponential speed‑ups on random inputs. According to PSI, the proof emerged autonomously after three days of running a non‑public Anthropic model, with every logical step checked by the Lean proof assistant.
The claim, while still awaiting peer review, would turn an 18‑year‑old hypothesis into a theorem and could reshape expectations for quantum‑algorithm research. By confirming that quantum devices cannot surpass classical ones exponentially in the general random‑input setting, the result narrows the frontier for practical quantum advantage and may redirect funding toward problem‑specific algorithms rather than universal speed‑ups. It also underscores the growing potency of large‑scale language models as tools for formal mathematics, echoing recent advances in AI‑driven theorem proving.
The community will now scrutinise the proof’s validity, with mathematicians and quantum‑computing experts expected to attempt independent verification. Watch for formal publication of the proof, commentary from the quantum‑complexity field, and any follow‑up demonstrations of Anthropic‑based models tackling other open problems. The episode may also spur broader interest in integrating proprietary foundation models with proof assistants, potentially accelerating discovery across physics and computer science.
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