Terence Tao: Did AI Just Solve the $1,000,000 Navier-Stokes Problem?

Can AI solve the Navier-Stokes equations? Terence Tao proposes a new path for using artificial intelligence to tame fluid dynamics.

The Navier-Stokes equations have governed fluid flow for nearly two centuries, yet the mystery of finite-time blow-up remains a major challenge. This video details the program led by Terence Tao, which shifts the focus from using machines for brute-force calculation to employing AI as a reasoning partner. By discovering simplified models, this approach aims to advance our fundamental mathematical understanding of turbulence and energy cascades.

Rather than claiming an immediate solution, this program explores a potential paradigm shift in mathematical research. We examine how AI might assist in proving whether smooth flows can collapse into a singularity, potentially cracking a long-standing Clay Millennium Prize problem.
The Navier-Stokes equations have run jets and hurricanes for nearly 200 years. They may still hide a flaw: can a smooth flow blow up into a singularity in finite time? That is a Clay Millennium Prize problem. Terence Tao’s program tames the energy cascade, not a claim that AI already solved it.

Full interview with Terry Tao at UCLA: Terence Tao: Nobody Understands Why AI Actually Works https://youtu.be/ukpCHo5v-Gc?si=YJmT7OFHKDwNCWa7?sub_confirmation=1

Transcript, bonus content, and my Monday M.A.G.I.C. Message: https://briankeating.com/yt

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1

Support Into the Impossible on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drbriankeating

Twitter/X: https://x.com/BrianKeating

Subscribe for weekly science and physics breakdowns, and let me know in the comments: do you think AI is capable of true mathematical reasoning?

#intotheimpossible #briankeating #terencetao #navierstokes #ai