🔬How GPT‑5 derived new results in theoretical physics and quantum gravity — Alex Lupsasca, OpenAI

AI has reached a superhuman milestone in theoretical physics, enabling the rapid resolution of complex problems that previously stumped experts for over a year. Alex Lupsasca, a professor at Vanderbilt University and fellow at OpenAI, details how GPT models now function as creative collaborators, accelerating research by automating arduous calculations and providing insights into previously intractable scattering amplitudes. By utilizing these models, researchers successfully computed single-minus gluon and graviton tree amplitudes, revealing that these interactions are non-zero—a discovery that challenges long-held assumptions in quantum field theory. This shift marks a fundamental change in scientific methodology, where AI acts as a scout to explore the unknown, allowing human physicists to focus on verification and high-level conceptual framing. As these models continue to scale, they are poised to transform academic training and the nature of scientific publication itself.