{"slug": "physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing", "title": "Physical Superintelligence uses AI to crack a two-decade-old quantum computing puzzle", "summary": "Cambridge, Massachusetts public benefit corporation Physical Superintelligence (PSI) announced on November 6, 2026 that its internal research system, paired with a non-public Anthropic model, proved the Aaronson-Ambainis conjecture on day three of its run, publishing a 13-page paper and a complete Lean formalization of 9,454 lines and 648 theorems with no added axioms or placeholders. The conjecture, first floated around 2008 and formally stated in 2014, holds that every bounded low-degree polynomial on the Boolean cube has an influential variable; the proof rules out exponential quantum advantage on random oracles for decision problems but does not affect structured speedups such as Shor's algorithm. Scott Aaronson, who posed the problem, said he does not fully follow the proof but believes it is correct because it was autoformalized in Lean and explained by top researchers with whom PSI shared the result; PSI launched in September 2026 with $58 million in seed funding led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.", "body_md": "# Physical Superintelligence uses AI to crack a two-decade-old quantum computing puzzle\n\nPhoto: Google DeepMind / Pexels\n\nThe Cambridge startup says its system proved the Aaronson-Ambainis conjecture in three days, with a Lean formalization to back it up\n\nA startup that is barely two months old says it has settled a quantum computing question that stumped researchers for nearly two decades.\n\nPhysical Superintelligence, or PSI, announced on November 6, 2026 that it had proven the Aaronson-Ambainis conjecture. The work used its internal research system alongside a non-public [Anthropic](https://cryptobriefing.com/markets/anthropic/) model, and the company says the proof landed on day three of the system’s run.\n\nEven more striking is the reaction from one of the people who posed the problem. Scott Aaronson says he doesn’t fully follow the proof. He believes it anyway.\n\n## What PSI actually proved\n\nThe Aaronson-Ambainis conjecture is about a basic question: when can quantum computers actually beat classical ones on speed? It was first floated around 2008 and given a formal statement in 2014.\n\nStripped to its mathematical core, the conjecture says that every bounded low-degree polynomial on the Boolean cube has an influential variable.\n\nAccording to the research findings, the proof rules out exponential quantum advantage on random oracles for decision problems. Partial results had chipped away at the problem before. The full proof had never arrived until now.\n\nPSI has published its work as a 13-page paper and a complete Lean formalization, both hosted on GitHub under the physical-superintelligence organization.\n\n## Why Lean is doing the heavy lifting\n\nLean is a programming language built for mathematics. Rather than relying on a human referee to read and check every step, you write the proof as code and a small, trusted program called a kernel verifies that each step follows logically from the last.\n\n### AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing.\n\nDaily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy.\n\nThe scale here is substantial. PSI’s formalization runs to 9,454 lines and 648 theorems, with no added axioms or placeholders.\n\nThe research findings also note that the formalization was independently rechecked using multiple kernels.\n\nThis verification layer is exactly why Aaronson is willing to sign off on something he doesn’t completely grasp. He says he believes the proof is correct because it was autoformalized in Lean and explained by a team of top researchers with whom PSI shared the result.\n\n## A negative result, and why that’s useful\n\nThe finding doesn’t unlock a faster quantum algorithm. It closes a door.\n\nTurturean described it to TechCrunch in practical terms:\n\n“It’s a negative result that allows people to know, okay, we’re no longer looking there.”\n\nThe result also has clear limits. The research findings specify that it does not affect structured speedups such as Shor’s algorithm. The proof constrains quantum advantage on unstructured inputs, not every flavor of quantum advantage.\n\n## Who is PSI, anyway\n\nPSI is a public benefit corporation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It launched in September 2026 with $58 million in seed funding led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.\n\nThat timeline is notable. A company that raised its first round in September put out a result on a nearly two-decade-old open problem by early November.\n\nThe Anthropic angle is also eye-catching. PSI used a non-public Anthropic model as part of its system, meaning the result came partly from AI capabilities that outside researchers cannot currently access.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our [Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/physical-superintelligence-ai-proves-quantum-conjecture/", "published_at": "2026-11-10 19:08:25+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-11-10 19:21:48.606301+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-research", "ai-safety", "large-language-models"], "entities": ["Physical Superintelligence", "Anthropic", "Scott Aaronson", "Lean", "Breakthrough Energy Ventures", "Turturean", "GitHub", "TechCrunch"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/physical-superintelligence-uses-ai-to-crack-a-two-decade-old-quantum-computing.jsonld"}}