Caltech mathematicians boycott AI math hackathon backed by $2M from Anthropic and OpenAI
zetalyrae · x · 2026-09-10
A coalition of current and former Caltech mathematicians published an open letter boycotting the Caltech Mathathon (Oct 30), a hackathon where participants solve open research problems by prompting LLMs, with $2M in AI credits from Anthropic and OpenAI.
Key claims:
- AI firms treat research math as an advertising opportunity, racing to claim first proofs of famous conjectures with weekly announcements that are poorly communicated and damage careers of human mathematicians working on the same problems;
- Mathematicians sustain their field through talks, mentoring, and norms against scooping—practices AI companies ignore when dropping LLM-generated theorems, aiming to extract prestige rather than add community value;
- The letter accuses companies of an unhealthy instinct to claim results before competitors regardless of collateral damage to mathematical understanding.
Related event: Hundreds of Mathematicians Sign Open Letter Against Caltech's AI Mathathon(9 posts)→
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