Erik Hoel: AI turned culture into a dark forest as an Anthropic mathematician nears Navier-Stokes
erikphoel · x · 2026-09-10
Cognitive scientist Erik Hoel borrows Liu Cixin's 'dark forest' metaphor: in the AI era, scientists, writers and mathematicians producing culture are hunters stalking silently — exposing your ideas invites getting shot. He urges people to post their cherished ideas publicly and see what happens. His case study: the Navier-Stokes Millennium Problem was just announced as near-solved by two mathematicians, one employed at Anthropic. The piece also contrasts the Three-Body novels with the American TV adaptation.
Related event: Erik Hoel's Essay: AI Is Turning Culture into a Dark Forest(10 posts)→
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