Math as an island of knowledge: why new results keep generating new problems
qberthet · x · 2026-09-08
In a discussion around Terry Tao's remarks on AI and mathematics, the author offers his mental model: math is an "island of knowledge" — the larger it grows, the longer its boundary with the unknown, so mathematics isn't a non-renewable resource, since every new result brings new problems.
Related event: Terence Tao Warns AI Solving Key Math Problems Could Backfire(4 posts)→
More from AGI Musings
- UK design industry leaders say AI is 'the intern in the office', not a designer replacement — nordicinst · 2026-09-08
- One worksheet photo plus AI yields 7 interactive 3D physics labs in 45 minutes, ~€10 in tokens — rschu · 2026-09-08
- China's self-driving electric trucks now log 1M+ km daily, reshaping freight — aitrendz_xyz · 2026-09-08
- Researcher laments AI labs could have teamed up to formally solve Navier-Stokes — birchlse · 2026-09-08
- Agents write me tens of thousands of words daily — humans manage only hundreds — edgarpavlovsky · 2026-09-08
- Jon Stokes accuses Nat Torkington of conflating anti-rationalist politics with anti-AI-safety — nptacek · 2026-09-08