Christian Szegedy: AI will split math into applied infrastructure and resource-hungry "high math"

thegautamkamath · x · 2026-09-23

Christian Szegedy argues AI will split mathematics into two domains: applied math becomes the fabric of all engineering and science, with theories and algorithms built and verified automatically on the fly—fundamental infrastructure. Pure math becomes "high math," tackling central questions like P≠NP, driven by human interest and requiring huge, centralized investment. He likens it to physics: applied physics handles practical problems, while particle physics and astrophysics have little economic relevance yet demand massive investment.

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