Fortnow: his 'Our Days Are Numbered' math-AI prediction is coming true fast
fortnow · x · 2026-09-09
Complexity theorist Lance Fortnow revisits his January 2025 post "Our Days Are Numbered," saying its predictions are materializing faster than expected.
From the post, based on AI talks at the Joint Mathematics Meeting:
- AI for Math generated the most angst among mathematicians
- AI proof verification (e.g. Lean assistants) could offload referees, eventually becoming a submission requirement
- AlphaProof and O3 excel at competition problems but haven't yet generated genuinely new theorem ideas — a step Fortnow expects will eventually arrive, to mathematicians' alarm
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