Mathematician Strogatz Explains His Tears Over AI Math Breakthroughs
Cornell mathematician Steven Strogatz, author of Big Math, teared up in a WIRED interview while discussing recent AI-driven mathematical breakthroughs, and the moment sparked broad discussion after publication. He later posted a long thread on X explaining in detail why he cried. The takeaway: it wasn't fear of being replaced by AI, but an emotional surge mixing excitement with complicated feelings.
Confirmed
- Strogatz teared up in an interview with WIRED reporter Isabella Ward while discussing AI math breakthroughs; the piece was written in just one day to cover the week's big events, and much of the conversation was left out.
- He said the article didn't capture what truly moved him—and he may not fully understand it himself—so he posted a thread to explain.
- He clarified the tears were not about AI taking his job: at 67 and nearing retirement, he genuinely enjoys tinkering with AI and uses it for research, brainstorming, and learning.
- He admitted the explanatory thread itself was drafted with ChatGPT's help, which he then edited into his own voice.
- He described it as "science is thrilling, but too much human evil comes with it"—excitement mixed with unease.
Why it matters
- As a prominent mathematician, Strogatz's reaction reflects the genuinely mixed emotions of frontline researchers facing rapid AI breakthroughs in mathematics—inspiration alongside concern about impacts on people and scientific culture.
- His open admission of using ChatGPT to help write is itself an example of a senior scholar embedding AI into daily workflow, echoing the reason for his tears.
2026-09-13 ~ 2026-09-13 · 5 related posts
Primary sources
- Mathematician Steven Strogatz Cries Talking About AI's Math Breakthroughs — stevenstrogatz ·
- Mathematician Steven Strogatz explains why AI moved him to tears — and admits ChatGPT wrote the thread — stevenstrogatz ·
- Strogatz: my tears weren't about AI taking my job — I use it in research and love it — stevenstrogatz ·
- [source] Mathematician Steven Strogatz Cries Talking About AI's Math Breakthroughs — stevenstrogatz · 2026-09-13
- [source] Mathematician Steven Strogatz explains why AI moved him to tears — and admits ChatGPT wrote the thread — stevenstrogatz · 2026-09-13
- Strogatz: WIRED had to distill a long AI conversation into a one-day article — stevenstrogatz · 2026-09-13
- [source] Strogatz: my tears weren't about AI taking my job — I use it in research and love it — stevenstrogatz · 2026-09-13
1 near-duplicate retellings: stevenstrogatz