# Harvard mathematicians debate whether correct AI proofs need human understanding

> Original title: Harvard mathematicians are split over whether correct AI proofs need human understanding, after OpenAI’s Navier-Stokes claim.

- Source: Rohan Paul
- Published: 2026-10-22T13:11:45.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/e7xyam8y9kj04vjh2koyfffg4
- Original: https://x.com/rohanpaul_ai/status/2113256999282679999

## Summary

Rohan Paul says Harvard mathematicians are split over whether a correct AI proof must be understood by humans, following OpenAI's Navier-Stokes claim. He writes that proofs both establish truth and teach reusable methods, and that AI proofs often provide only the first.

## Post

Harvard mathematicians are split over whether correct AI proofs need human understanding, after OpenAI’s Navier-Stokes claim.

A proof does 2 things: it shows a statement is true, and it teaches other mathematicians a method they can reuse, and AI proofs often deliver only the first.

Mathematicians value proofs for 2 reasons, certainty and technique, and an AI proof that nobody understands gives them certainty while withholding the technique.

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