Live from ICM 2026: Venkatesh, Vakil and Kontorovich on math in the age of AI
stevenstrogatz · x · 2026-09-10
Quanta Magazine's The Joy of Why recorded a 53-minute special at ICM 2026 in Philadelphia on what mathematics is for in the age of AI. Guests Akshay Venkatesh (IAS), Ravi Vakil (Stanford/AMS president) and Alex Kontorovich (Rutgers) discuss AI systems producing proofs, spotting cross-field connections and cracking decades-old problems; what recent AI-generated proofs actually demonstrate; what's gained and lost as math becomes machine-assisted at the frontier; and what this means for the next generation. The conversation probes what mathematicians value about proof and understanding — including the surprisingly central role of storytelling. Hosts: Janna Levin and Steven Strogatz.
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