Is AI the End of Math As We Know It?
Mathematicians are facing the sudden shift with grief, anger, and a desperate search for fresh ideas: “If we don’t adapt, there’s just no more math in 50 years.” The post Is AI the End of Math As We Know It? first appeared on Quanta Magazine
In the summer of 2026, artificial intelligence models began providing proofs of long-standing mathematical conjectures. This development, while not unexpected, felt sudden and almost violent when OpenAI announced its AI had solved one of mathematics' most famous problems on September 8. The announcement sparked controversy over authorship and standards, with mathematicians feeling threatened by the implications.
Scott Aaronson, a professor at the University of Texas, Austin, declared that human mathematicians were now obsolete, unable to compete with AI's capabilities. The discovery left many mathematicians feeling angry, confused, and fearful about the future of their field. Ken Ono, a mathematician who had left academia for an AI start-up, warned his audience at the University of California, Berkeley that they were graduating into a profession that might not exist as they had envisioned.
The talk, which exceeded its allotted time, left many students grappling with the implications of AI in mathematics. While some saw potential for new discoveries, others were concerned about the loss of understanding and human connection in the field.
Written by urgent.news from Quanta Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
