# First Proof

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05192 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.05192/

## Key facts

- Cited by 32 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 2 of its 4 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 Feb 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [RealMath: A Continuous Benchmark for Evaluating Language Models on Research-Level Mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.12575/) (2025)
- [IMProofBench: Benchmarking AI on Research-Level Mathematical Proof Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.26076/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 32)

- [Beyond Benchmarks: MathArena as an Evaluation Platform for Mathematics with LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.00674/) (2026)
- [Automated Conjecture Resolution with Formal Verification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.03789/) (2026)
- [LemmaBench: A Live, Research-Level Benchmark to Evaluate LLM Capabilities in Mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.24173/) (2026)
- [Measuring Progress in Reasoning Toward Mathematical Discovery with Automatic Verification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.15617/) (2026)
- [RMA: an Agentic System for Research-Level Mathematical Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.22875/) (2026)
- [ProofCouncil: An LLM Agent for Solving Open Mathematical Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.09474/) (2026)
- [LiveMathematicianBench: A Live Benchmark for Research-Level Mathematical Reasoning with Proof Sketches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.01754/) (2026)
- [The Agentic Researcher: A Practical Guide to AI-Assisted Research in Mathematics and Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.15914/) (2026)
- [Artificial Intelligence and the Structure of Mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.06107/) (2026)
- [Soohak: A Mathematician-Curated Benchmark for Evaluating Research-level Math Capabilities of LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.09063/) (2026)
- [Can LLM generate interesting mathematical research problems?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.18813/) (2026)
- [pAI/MSc: ML Theory Research with Humans on the Loop](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.20622/) (2026)
- [ResearchMath-14K: Scaling Research-Level Mathematics via Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.28003/) (2026)
- [AI-Assisted Discovery of Convex Relaxations via Dual Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.31182/) (2026)
- [The Problem Is the Problem: Towards Scalable Mathematical Discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.16977/) (2026)
- [An Enigma of Artificial Reason: Investigating the Production-Evaluation Gap in Large Reasoning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.01462/) (2026)
- [Evaluating Research-Level Math Proofs via Strict Step-Level Verification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.10799/) (2026)
- [From Solvers to Research: Large Language Model-Driven Formal Mathematics at the Research Frontier](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.07779/) (2026)
- [ReasFlow: Assisting Reasoning-Centric Scientific Discovery in Applied Mathematics via a Knowledge-Based Multi-Agent System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.14178/) (2026)
- [Lean Pool: An AI-Maintained Archive of Formalized Mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.25199/) (2026)
- [Efficient Reasoning on the Edge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.16867/) (2026)
- [k-server-bench: Automating Potential Discovery for the k-Server Conjecture](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.07240/) (2026)
- [Lectures on AI for Mathematics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.11504/) (2026)
- [Forage V2: Knowledge Evolution and Transfer in Autonomous Agent Organizations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.19837/) (2026)
- [Failure Modes of Large Language Models on Research-Level Mathematics: A Taxonomy and an Empirical Characterisation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.24902/) (2026)
- [How AI settled the complexity of the oldest SGD algorithm](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.29593/) (2026)
- [The Ramanujan Challenge For AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.09721/) (2026)
- [Mathematical Discovery in the Wild: AI-Guided Proofs in Banach Space Theory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.17388/) (2026)
- [Beyond Correctness: Toward Automated Novelty Verification with Lean 4](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.14669/) (2026)
- [Explanations, Prompts, and Formalizations: Arguments for New Norms in LLM-Enabled Mathematical Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.29401/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

To assess the ability of current AI systems to correctly answer research-level mathematics questions, we share a set of ten math questions which have arisen naturally in the research process of the authors. The questions had not been shared publicly until now; the answers are known to the authors of the questions but will remain encrypted for a short time.