Math Community Mocks Tao's Pivot; Charton and Fleuret Defend Him

Terry Tao's shift in focus and stance within weeks of being a standard-bearer of the 'AI for Math' wave drew mockery online, sparking a debate over how to judge his pivot. Confirmed

• François Fleuret joked about a widely discussed figure's about-face: a former leader of 'AI for Math' changed focus and stance within weeks, prompting community ridicule that he saw as less malicious than amused at the drama.
• DeepMind's François Charton defended Tao, calling the mockery unfair: Tao is one of few mathematicians holding a middle position—understanding AI, refusing hype, and proposing SAIR as a vision for mathematics in the AI era.
• Fleuret replied in agreement, saying criticism of Tao was if anything too lenient—he is a top mathematician who neither courts hype nor dismisses AI.
• Charton added that the AI-math world contains far worse 'Quislings' than Tao, and while he disagrees with some of Tao's positions, he respects Tao's effort to think through responses for the whole community—amid panic, big-tech cash grabs, and snark. Why it matters

The spat lays bare how the math community is splitting under AI pressure. Rather than mocking one individual's pivot, Charton and Fleuret suggest, the more pressing question is who is actually charting a sustainable path for the discipline.

2026-09-20 ~ 2026-09-21 · 5 related posts

• [source] Researchers Amused as AI-for-Math Champion Pivots Overnight — francoisfleuret · 2026-09-20
• [source] Terry Tao mocked for AI shift, DeepMind's Charton says it's unfair to him — f_charton · 2026-09-20
• Charton doubles down on Tao defense: community has far worse Quislings — f_charton · 2026-09-20
• François Fleuret defends Terence Tao as a rare mathematician who resisted AI hype — francoisfleuret · 2026-09-20
• [source] Charton defends Terence Tao as one of few thinking for the math community on AI — f_charton · 2026-09-21