{
  "id": 19670605,
  "title": "We built our world on “Big Math.” Now we no longer understand it.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/we-built-our-world-on-big-math-now-we-no-longer-understand-it",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-12T15:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/history-society/big-math/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mathematics has permeated every aspect of modern life, transforming simple mental arithmetic into complex algorithms. These algorithms, known as \"Big Math,\" are too intricate for the human brain alone to comprehend. They drive technology that we use daily, from organizing our social media feeds to managing logistics in e-commerce. The authors, Steven Strogatz and Alex Townsend, explore these concepts in their upcoming book, Big Math: The Hidden Codes That Run Our World. They argue that understanding Big Math is crucial, as it's increasingly determining vital aspects of our lives, such as credit card approvals, college admissions, and job considerations. The authors are particularly concerned about the opaque nature of AI models that use Big Math, which makes it difficult for humans to understand the underlying workings. This lack of understanding raises concerns about the future of mathematicians, who may soon find themselves as perpetual students to AI teachers rather than explorers solving complex problems.",
  "summary": "Math has undeniably escaped the human mind and implanted itself in nearly every corner of the world. Over the past 75 years, as computers became commonplace and grew in power, what once amounted to mental arithmetic has become something else entirely. It’s not just math; it’s “Big Math,” too large for the human brain alone. Big Math’s offshoot algorithms, the step-by-step sets of instructions and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}