Fields Medalist Yu Deng Jokes He'll Write Yuri Novels If AI Solves All Math

Yu Deng, a 37-year-old Chinese mathematicist and 2026 Fields Medalist, joked on social media that if AI could solve all mathematical problems, he would retire and write his own yuri romance novels. He later clarified to the South China Morning Post that it was a joke and that he does not believe AI will ever reach the point of solving all of mathematics. The quip spread widely and reflects the complex mood of top mathematicians as AI capabilities rapidly approach core research work.

Confirmed

• Deng made the original remark himself and clarified its nature to SCMP; multiple posts (@ctjlewis, @yacineMTB, @cephaloform, @basedjensen, @haider1) point to the same statement.
• According to the posts, Deng said he does not believe AI will solve all mathematics, but believes AI has already created an atmosphere of restlessness and impatience in the field.
• Deng is a fan of yuri content; writing yuri novels was the "other passion" mentioned in the joke, though he clarified he is not actually writing one.
• The remarks echo betting activity on Polymarket about AI announcing solutions to Millennium Prize Problems; Polymarket's official account posted about it.

Why it matters

• Fields Medalists represent the pinnacle of mathematical research; even a joking public statement signals that top mathematicians are taking seriously the once-science-fictional prospect of AI "finishing" mathematics.
• Deng's description of a restless atmosphere suggests AI progress is already affecting the psychology and research direction of academia, beyond industry hype.
• Prediction-market activity shows the public and capital are pricing in the possibility of AI breakthroughs on major open problems, contrasting scholar attitudes with market expectations.

2026-09-11 ~ 2026-09-12 · 7 related posts

• [source] Fields Medalist jokes he'll write yuri novels if AI solves all math problems — basedjensen · 2026-09-11
• [source] Fields Medalist Deng Yu says he'll quit math and write romance novels if AI solves all of it — Polymarket · 2026-09-12
• Chinese Fields Medalist Jokes He'll Write Romance Novels If AI Solves All Maths — yacineMTB · 2026-09-12

4 near-duplicate retellings: ctjlewis · haider1 · haider1 · cephaloform