Debate: Will AI-generated papers make theoretical mathematicians obsolete? Value of basic research questioned
basedjensen · x · 2026-08-27
A debate on AI's impact on academic jobs has sparked attention. One argument posits that as AI (e.g., hypothetical glm-5.2) becomes capable of automatically generating and verifying research papers, theoretical mathematicians who cannot demonstrate commercial utility (e.g., merely providing theoretical bounds for PRNGs) should not continue to receive salaries. This reflects a radical re-evaluation of the "usefulness" of basic researchers in the AI era.
Related event: Mathematicians Debate Whether AI Makes Theorists Obsolete(3 posts)→
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