Math association urges boycott of OpenAI — but its statement tests 100% AI-generated
APPSO · wechat · 2026-10-09
After OpenAI released 700+ mathematical manuscripts, the "Association of Human Mathematicians" published a statement calling the dump "a display of power, not scholarship" and urging all mathematicians to stop cooperating with OpenAI. The statement sparked fierce debate on X; Terence Tao shared it on his blog but was mistakenly credited as leading it (he isn't a member).
Notable facts
- The association, founded in August 2026, has only 809 members, mostly graduate students — about a third French, a third American.
- Ironically, the anti-AI statement was flagged by AI detector Pangram as 100% AI-generated.
- Only 162 of OpenAI's 722 papers had main results computer-verified; 3 were withdrawn the next day (a sign error invalidated a core argument), 14 revised. Community checks found some Lean verifications pass.
- Related groups include a manifesto signed by 28 Fields medalists and a 9-member math-AI advisory group at IAS.
The core tension: AI collapsed the cost of producing math, but not the cost of understanding and verifying it — an asymmetry reshaping how science operates.
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