Fields medalists co-sign declaration: AI companies' math benchmark race is 'severely misaligned'
deliprao · x · 2026-09-12
A declaration at mathandai.org, co-signed by Fields medalists, argues that AI companies racing to solve open math problems as benchmarks are severely misaligned with the goals of the mathematical community — and frames this as part of broader alignment issues affecting science, creative professions, and society.
Core arguments:
- LLMs now solve major outstanding problems in many fields, but treating them as benchmark targets harms mathematics itself
- Famous problems are lighthouses: their value lies in a long communal process of talks, simplification, and eventual textbook presentation; benchmark races bypass this
- Students and ideas are the profession's most precious resources, and the current push threatens mathematical education and transmission
- The authors call this a broader value-alignment issue and invite others to read and endorse the declaration
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