25 Fields Medallists raise concerns over AI-driven math; Terence Tao still pro-AI
hugobowne · x · 2026-09-12
hugobowne pushes back on the "so you don't want to cure cancer?" response to a letter from 25 Fields Medallists raising concerns about how AI companies pursue mathematical discovery.
Key points:
- Terence Tao is genuinely enthusiastic about AI — this isn't anti-AI.
- Working through a problem produces more than an answer: methods, concepts, collaborators, and people who ask better questions, all of which enable the next breakthrough.
- Human understanding is part of how science advances.
- As someone who builds AI systems, he cares about who controls them, what they reward, and whether people have the time and access to participate.
The argument is that short-term losses in results may be acceptable to preserve the medium-to-long-term health of the mathematical ecosystem.
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