Terence Tao warns AI-powered problem-flattening may reverse centuries of open science
erikphoel · x · 2026-09-10
Gary Marcus shared Terence Tao's latest remarks on AI's impact on research culture: even the rumor of someone working on a problem can now trigger massive AI-powered effort to flatten it before the original project reaches its full potential. Tao argues incentives may now point toward no longer sharing promising research directions with the broader community, reversing centuries of open science and doing serious long-term damage to the field. It's the weightiest statement yet in the "dark forest in the AI era" discussion.
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