Welcome to the AI crisis in math
This article explores the growing existential crisis among mathematicians regarding the impact of AI on their field. It discusses how AI models are increasingly capable of solving complex abstract math problems, raising questions about the future of academic research and human expertise.
Why it matters
The integration of AI into fundamental academic disciplines challenges traditional notions of human intellectual contribution and the future of scientific discovery.
Today on Decoder , I’m talking with Robert Hart, The Verge ’s London-based AI reporter, about what AI is doing to the field of mathematics and the existential crisis many lead mathematicians are having about it. OpenAI just published a set of solutions to longstanding problems in math that went off like a bombshell in the field. It caused a huge debate in the math community, and Rob spent some time talking to some of the most accomplished mathematicians of our time about it. It’s funny that AI systems are all still pretty bad at elementary school arithmetic, but getting increasingly good at very high-end abstract math. That raises some big questions for the field of advanced math. If AI can do math of this caliber, does that mean AI labs can transfer those skills to other domains?
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in