Noam Brown: OpenAI mathematicians had their 'Lee Sedol moment'
Noam Brown @polynoamial · x · 2026-09-08 · ★★★ · archived
Widely shared insider reaction to the Navier-Stokes model: researchers watched it solve problems they had worked on for years.
Summary
OpenAI researcher Noam Brown posted on Sept 8, 2026, minutes after the Navier-Stokes announcement, that it can be hard to "feel the AGI" until an AI surpasses you in a domain you care about, and that many mathematicians and physicists at OpenAI had their "Lee Sedol moment" watching the internal model solve, in minutes, open problems they had struggled with for years. It foreshadowed OpenAI's Sept 21 claim that the model had resolved more than 100 open problems. Verified via the X syndication endpoint (polynoamial, 2026-09-08T17:23Z).
Archived text
It can be hard to “feel the AGI” until you see an AI surpass you in a domain you care deeply about. This week, many mathematicians and physicists at @OpenAI had their Lee Sedol moment seeing this model solve, in minutes, open problems they’d struggled with for years.
Quoting @OpenAI: This model represents a step-function improvement on many benchmarks, and its training is ongoing.
Our internal model group arrived at the Navier–Stokes solution in 88 hours, using around 10,000 coordinating AI agents.
Throughout the effort, we maintained the strict https://t.co/97P2lsPJKs
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Archived 2026-09-29 via syndication.
Related events
- OpenAI claims a Millennium Prize problem: 10,000 AI agents prove forced Navier–Stokes blow-up; priority dispute erupts 2026-09-08
- OpenAI says an internal model resolved 100+ long-standing open problems in 24 days of training; no list released 2026-09-21
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