AI solves far more theory problems across several physics and math fields

Key points

• MIT study by Neil Thompson's lab says AI may soon transform probability, statistics, economic theory, cosmology and quantum physics.
• Share of theory problems solved by top models rose from about 2 percent in mid-2024 to about 35 percent by mid-2026.
• Models tested were OpenAI's o1, o3, GPT-5 through GPT-5.5; they had no internet access and had to solve problems unaided.
• Researchers say experts will still be needed to verify solutions, since models can produce errors on complex problems.

Why it matters for marketers: Content teams covering science should expect rapid AI progress in theory-heavy fields, and fact-checking AI-generated technical claims will remain necessary.