A Microsoft researcher and Zhao Song prove the KLS conjecture

The October proof removes dimension dependence from a 1995 bound, after a human-directed AI search helped identify the key mathematical criterion.

By · Published

Primary source: Microsoft Research

Why it matters

The proof turns a widely used assumption about high-dimensional sampling into a theorem. Its AI contribution is also specific: guided exploration helped researchers find a useful criterion, while human mathematical judgment shaped and completed the proof.

Solving a 31-year-old grand challenge in mathematics – the KLS conjecture - Microsoft Research — For decades, a fundamental question about the difficulty of computing in high-dimensional spaces has resisted proof.

A proof posted on October 4th resolves the Kannan-Lovasz-Simonovits conjecture, a 1995 problem about how efficiently random walks can explore high-dimensional probability distributions. Microsoft Research announced the result on October 21st, crediting Microsoft researcher Xinzhi Zhang and collaborator Zhao Song. Their paper establishes a bound that does not grow with the number of dimensions, the defining claim of the conjecture.…

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Reader comments

Conversation for this story loads after sign-in.