In April 2026, GPT-5.4 Pro solved a 58-year-old mathematical puzzle (Erdős Problem #1196) using Markov process theory, reigniting debate over whether AI can be truly creative.

A 23-year-old amateur using GPT-5.4 Pro solved Erdős Problem #1196 in a single prompt with roughly 80 minutes of processing time. The problem had remained unsolved by mathematicians for 58 years.

The AI applied Markov process theory—a tool from probability and statistics—to primitive sets (a number theory problem), viewing integers as an evolving probabilistic process rather than static entities, which differed from human mathematicians' traditional use of analytic number theory tools.

The article argues that by the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of creativity as 'the use of imagination or original ideas to create something,' the AI's solution was 'profoundly creative' because it produced a novel, valuable idea by connecting disparate areas of mathematics. Commentators online are divided, with some calling it a triumph of machine creativity and others claiming AI merely regurgitates data or brute-forces combinations.