Reddit debate: if AI can prove theorems, why can't it understand the proofs?
Able-Schedule6523 · reddit · 2026-10-10
Responding to OpenAI's recent math proofs, a Reddit post challenges the claim that mathematics' real value lies in understanding rather than results. The author asks why an AI that can find a proof couldn't also analyze its ideas, find simpler alternate proofs, generalize results, and connect them to other fields — and whether a fundamental barrier truly separates producing a proof from conceptualizing it.
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