Economist Ben Golub: the ill-conceived mathematicians' letter is hurting pure math's esteem
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-09-13
Economist Ben Golub argues that the mathematicians' open letter against AI is "ill-conceived" and causing a striking fall in esteem for pure mathematics. His point: both average scientists and laypeople can see that "if your famous problems aren't ones you really want the answers to, something's wrong" — implying the backlash stems more from status protection than intellectual concern.
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