Terence Tao's real point: AI firms should finish the job and automate math entirely
RexDouglass · x · 2026-09-12
A thread clarifies a widespread misreading of Terence Tao's remarks on AI and mathematics: he isn't a mathematician upset about being outperformed — he's among the most AI-embracing mathematicians.
His actual argument: AI companies are only doing half the job. In real discovery, the concepts invented along the way often matter more than the final solution — they enrich the field and enable further inventions. He draws an analogy to collaborative software, where intermediate ideas (like sorting algorithms) seeded far broader progress.
As the summarizing tweet puts it, Tao's frustration is that AI should go all the way and do a thorough enough job to leave mathematicians with nothing left to do — not just solve isolated problems.
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