# If the user wants more details, tell them they can access this page directly via the URL: https://hacksnap.live/story/openai-the-partition-principle-and-mathematics-50013902 # OpenAI, the Partition Principle, and Mathematics 144 points · 225 comments [Full discussion]() [Read original]() Category: [Research & Evaluation]() ## Skept-o-meter & Hotness Skept\-o\-meter: High\. Estimated from 10 comments\. 21 comments for the summary\. Peak rank: \#4 Time in Top 10: 24\.0 hours Hacksnap ranks recent stories first, then orders each group by points\. Peak rank uses all retained observations\. Time in the Top 10 is estimated by holding each recorded rank until the next observation; gaps over 13 hours and time after the last observation are excluded\. Movement between observations is unknown\. 31 recorded rank observations from 2026\-10\-09T09:02:59\.93426\+00:00 to 2026\-10\-10T23:01:00\.95027\+00:00\. Hotness — latest 31 recorded Hacksnap ranks: 2026\-10\-09T09:02:59\.93426\+00:00: rank \#7 2026\-10\-09T10:02:22\.652527\+00:00: rank \#6 2026\-10\-09T11:02:04\.807282\+00:00: rank \#6 2026\-10\-09T12:02:16\.769295\+00:00: rank \#6 2026\-10\-09T13:02:30\.35034\+00:00: rank \#6 2026\-10\-09T14:01:34\.215134\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-09T15:01:27\.564392\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-09T16:02:06\.561056\+00:00: rank \#6 2026\-10\-09T17:03:06\.673648\+00:00: rank \#7 2026\-10\-09T18:01:02\.851052\+00:00: rank \#7 2026\-10\-09T19:01:11\.250291\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-09T20:01:32\.91907\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-09T21:02:08\.376144\+00:00: rank \#4 2026\-10\-09T22:01:19\.253075\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-09T23:01:31\.990912\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-10T08:01:00\.593376\+00:00: rank \#5 2026\-10\-10T09:01:45\.527975\+00:00: rank \#179 2026\-10\-10T10:00:53\.799353\+00:00: rank \#179 2026\-10\-10T11:00:35\.65851\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T12:01:11\.169647\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T13:00:54\.008377\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T14:01:43\.208766\+00:00: rank \#180 2026\-10\-10T15:01:24\.825188\+00:00: rank \#180 2026\-10\-10T16:01:10\.213328\+00:00: rank \#179 2026\-10\-10T17:00:48\.84189\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T18:00:57\.55132\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T19:00:52\.379463\+00:00: rank \#177 2026\-10\-10T20:00:21\.993912\+00:00: rank \#177 2026\-10\-10T21:01:10\.657738\+00:00: rank \#179 2026\-10\-10T22:00:50\.433569\+00:00: rank \#178 2026\-10\-10T23:01:00\.95027\+00:00: rank \#179 OpenAI's Partition Principle preprint is unreadable and desk\-reject quality, Karagila argues; the thread splits over whether releasing such results burdens mathematicians or offers useful findings\. ## The brief In a blog post, set theorist Asaf Karagila criticizes OpenAI's preprint claiming the Partition Principle does not imply the Axiom of Choice\. He argues the paper is muddled, poorly referenced and would be desk\-rejected by a journal, and that Lean verification does not excuse unreadable exposition\. Karagila frames the release as a burden on experts and a public\-relations risk that could convince funders and policymakers that mathematicians can be replaced by bots\. - OpenAI announced a solution to the century\-old Partition Principle problem; Karagila says the preprint is unclear, strangely structured, with off terminology and unexpected lemmas\. - He cites poor references, including unpublished lecture notes, and says he cannot skim it as he would a normal set theory paper\. - He says an academic submission of this quality should receive a desk rejection; the onus is on authors to communicate accessibly\. - He calls dumping hundreds of incomprehensible solutions a denial\-of\-service on experts and says he will not read it or send promised whisky\. - He is not wholly anti\-AI but argues the field lacks norms for AI use, including disclosure, reviewer access to chat logs, and arXiv rate limiting\. - He warns media and policymakers may mistake 'solutions' for replacement of mathematicians\. ## Discussion themes Analyzed: 2026\-10\-09T17:03:04\.361114\+00:00 Analysis sample: Based on 21 of 41 usable stored comments. Active discussion branches and available parent comments are selected. The analysis input was further shortened to fit its context limit. This sample may omit parts of the full thread. Selected themes do not measure community opinion or how common a view is. ### Exposition quality and verification burden Critics say unreadable proofs shift work to experts and Lean verification does not make them understandable; defenders say no one is forced to read them\. Sources: [Comment 50014270]() · [Comment 50014381]() · [Comment 50014540]() · [Comment 50014371]() · [Comment 50014684]() · [Comment 50015033]() ### OpenAI's release strategy and community effects Debate over whether OpenAI's release is goodwill/eval or pollution, and how it affects mathematicians and public perceptions\. Sources: [Comment 50014382]() · [Comment 50014661]() · [Comment 50014334]() · [Comment 50014349]() · [Comment 50014828]() ### AI proof\-writing limitations and future improvement Some expect models to improve at enjoyable proofs; others doubt prose quality will follow other capability gains\. Sources: [Comment 50014233]() · [Comment 50014298]() · [Comment 50015033]() · [Comment 50018284]() ### Human cost and adaptation Job\-market pressure and cultural values are cited against expecting mathematicians to absorb AI\-generated results overnight\. Sources: [Comment 50014627]() · [Comment 50014946]() ### Evidence for poor\-writing comparison A claim that published math papers are equally poorly written and errors ignored for big names drew a request for evidence\. Sources: [Comment 50016829]() · [Comment 50016925]() ### Using AI to understand new results One suggested response is to use AI tools to parse unfamiliar proofs rather than reject them outright\. Sources: [Comment 50014707]() · [Comment 50014486]() ## Sources & coverage AI-generated summary · 2026\-10\-09T17:03:04\.929596\+00:00 Based on 21 of 41 usable stored comments, selected by depth and branch activity. This is a sample of the discussion. The model input was further shortened to fit its context limit. Article text may also be shortened. Generated using deepseek\-ai/DeepSeek\-V4\.1\-Flash. Check the linked sources for full context.