Terence Tao: AI companies are harming mathematics
AI firms are making new mathematical discoveries at a rapid pace, but not sticking around to help unpick the new proofs. That is not the way to advance our understanding, says mathematician Terence Tao
Mathematician Terence Tao has warned that AI companies are damaging the field of mathematics. OpenAI recently claimed a breakthrough in solving the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the Millennium Prize Problems worth $1 million. Tao, from UCLA, believes that the rapid pace of AI-generated discoveries may hinder the field's growth. He argues that AI firms are merely "dumping carcasses of raw meat" onto the mathematical community without providing clarity or context.
Tao highlights issues with the clarity and accuracy of recently published papers, noting that mathematicians often struggle to fully understand and teach the results. He fears that this race to publish first, rather than prioritize accuracy and explanation, will negatively impact mathematics. Tao predicts that as AI continues to generate more mathematical discoveries, the field's open and collaborative culture may deteriorate, with researchers hesitant to share ideas for fear of others completing their work before they can publish.
However, Tao remains hopeful that mathematicians will eventually step in to address and refine the AI-generated findings.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
