Even a true proof oracle wouldn't end mathematics, mathematician argues
keenanisalive · x · 2026-09-13
In the debate over whether AI ends mathematics, a mathematician responds: suppose you had a true oracle that could instantly prove or disprove any statement — mathematics still wouldn't be over. You'd have a vast ocean of true statements; the real work remains figuring out which are interesting, how theorems relate, how they build a bigger picture, and how to explain it. He cites Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture: Perelman got the accolades for proving it (the first Millennium Prize problem solved), but without Thurston posing the conjecture in 1982, we'd be lost.
Related event: Debate on X: What Remains of Human Mathematics After AI Solves Problems(26 posts)→
More from AGI Musings
- Why So Many AI Researchers Now Believe the Machines Could Kill Everyone — ArtificialOther · 2026-09-13
- Why So Many AI Researchers Think the Machines Could Kill Everyone — gabrielchua · 2026-09-13
- X user: The West's success hinges on Dario losing to this 'suicide cult' — McDonaghMatthew · 2026-09-13
- Reddit Debate: Why Are AI Researchers Genuinely Terrified of AI Killing Everyone? — Dogbold · 2026-09-13
- AI researcher: the stronger your conviction you're on the right side of history, the likelier you're not — mjdramstead · 2026-09-13
- e/acc founder beffjezos blames EAs for turning dream timeline into nightmare — beffjezos · 2026-09-13