Mathematical discovery and exploration can be done at scale

AlphaEvolve, introduced in A. Novikov et al . [“AlphaEvolve: A coding agent for scientific and algorithmic discovery” (Tech. Rep., Google DeepMind, 2025).], is a generic evolutionary coding agent that combines large language models (LLMs) with automated evaluation in a loop that proposes, tests, and refines algorithmic solutions. Here we showcase AlphaEvolve as a tool for autonomously discovering novel mathematical constructions and making progress on long-standing open problems. On 67 problems spanning mathematical analysis, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory, the system rediscovered the best known solutions in most cases and improved on them in several. In some instances, it also generalized results for finitely many input values into a formula valid for all inputs. Furthermore, we combine this methodology with Deep Think [Google DeepMind, Advanced Version of Gemini with Deep Think Officially Achieves Gold-Medal Standard at the International Mathematical Olympiad (Google DeepMind Blog, 2025).] and AlphaProof [Google DeepMind, AI Achieves Silver-Medal Standard Solving International Mathematical Olympiad Problems (Google DeepMind Blog, 2024).] in a broader framework where the additional proof assistants and reasoning systems provide automated proof generation and further mathematical insights. These results demonstrate that LLM-guided evolutionary search can autonomously discover mathematical constructions that complement human intuition, at times matching or improving the best known results, and point to new modes of interaction between mathematicians and AI systems. AlphaEvolve explores vast search spaces to solve complex optimization problems at scale, often with significantly reduced preparation and computation time.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2026-09-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2536158123
Primary Topic
Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
article

Mathematical discovery and exploration can be done at scale

Javier Gómez-Serrano, Bogdan Georgiev, Adam Zsolt Wagner, Terence Tao
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications
article

Mathematical discovery and exploration can be done at scale

Javier Gómez-Serrano, Bogdan Georgiev, Adam Zsolt Wagner, Terence Tao
article en

Abstract

AlphaEvolve, introduced in A. Novikov et al . [“AlphaEvolve: A coding agent for scientific and algorithmic discovery” (Tech. Rep., Google DeepMind, 2025).], is a generic evolutionary coding agent that combines large language models (LLMs) with automated evaluation in a loop that proposes, tests, and refines algorithmic solutions. Here we showcase AlphaEvolve as a tool for autonomously discovering novel mathematical constructions and making progress on long-standing open problems. On 67 problems spanning mathematical analysis, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory, the system rediscovered the best known solutions in most cases and improved on them in several. In some instances, it also generalized results for finitely many input values into a formula valid for all inputs. Furthermore, we combine this methodology with Deep Think [Google DeepMind, Advanced Version of Gemini with Deep Think Officially Achieves Gold-Medal Standard at the International Mathematical Olympiad (Google DeepMind Blog, 2025).] and AlphaProof [Google DeepMind, AI Achieves Silver-Medal Standard Solving International Mathematical Olympiad Problems (Google DeepMind Blog, 2024).] in a broader framework where the additional proof assistants and reasoning systems provide automated proof generation and further mathematical insights. These results demonstrate that LLM-guided evolutionary search can autonomously discover mathematical constructions that complement human intuition, at times matching or improving the best known results, and point to new modes of interaction between mathematicians and AI systems. AlphaEvolve explores vast search spaces to solve complex optimization problems at scale, often with significantly reduced preparation and computation time.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 123(40)
Brown University (US), Institute for Advanced Study (US), Google DeepMind (United Kingdom) (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Evolutionary Algorithms and Applications
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Mathematical discovery and exploration can be done at scale — Javier Gómez-Serrano, Bogdan Georgiev, et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS