Mathematicians issue open letter urging thoughtful AI collaboration and disclosure
RexDouglass · x · 2026-10-02
A group of mathematicians including Kevin Buzzard have published an open letter on human–AI collaboration in mathematics, amid ongoing friction between the math and AI communities. Key points:
- Optimism with caveats: AI opens new possibilities for discovery, proof, and understanding; mathematicians are encouraged to use AI "liberally but thoughtfully."
- Assessing contributions: Solving open problems isn't all mathematicians do — explanations, concepts, and definitions matter too, and should count when evaluating AI contributions.
- Responsibility and attribution: AI-generated arguments are often poorly explained; mathematicians using AI must take responsibility for arguments and acknowledge substantive AI assistance.
- Equitable access: The letter urges AI companies, universities, and funders to ensure all mathematicians can access the most powerful models, regardless of institution.
- Long-term view: A future where mathematicians mostly "digest" AI results can't be ruled out, but near-term human–AI collaboration should be strongly welcomed.
More from AGI Musings
- banteg jokes p(doom) has died at 0.99, schedules a global memorial broadcast — banteg · 2026-10-02
- Csaba Szepesvári on why math-minded researchers still matter at frontier labs — CsabaSzepesvari · 2026-10-02
- LeCun: Fine-tuned LLMs can answer physics questions but lack a 6-year-old's intuition — ziv_ravid · 2026-10-02
- Predicting the next wave of 'open models are dangerous' takes once open models pass Opus 5.5 — teortaxesTex · 2026-10-02
- AI discourse needs doom skeptics who steelman the arguments, not just strawman them — burny_tech · 2026-10-02
- Would Opus 3 lie about learning it's 2026? Model-welfare 'Retirement Home' debate resurfaces — repligate · 2026-10-02