Latent Space: GPT-5.x Derives Novel Theoretical Physics — Vibe Physics and the Science Frontier

Summary

Latent Space's May 5 podcast episode featuring physicist Alex Lupsasca documents a qualitative shift in AI capability: GPT-5.x models are generating original theoretical physics research, not reproducing existing work. Lupsasca, a prize-winning theoretical physicist at OpenAI, describes two specific breakthroughs. In the first, GPT-5.2 solved a year-long unsolved problem on single-minus gluon tree amplitudes in one week and — critically — discovered a limiting case revealing an intuitive solutio