NYT Daily: When A.I. comes for mathematicians' sense of purpose
marcosalvi · x · 2026-10-14
The New York Times' The Daily podcast (33 min) explores AI's impact on mathematics: AI has gone from struggling with basic arithmetic to helping solve some of the field's most famous open problems.
Guest Steven Strogatz, math professor at Cornell, describes the excitement and grief of watching AI take on work that gives people a sense of purpose — and asks what's lost if machines deliver answers without the human struggle, insight, and understanding that make problem-solving meaningful.
Companion reporting argues mathematics isn't just a game to let AI solve, and examines what AI mastering career-building projects means for young mathematicians. Strogatz's forthcoming book: Big Math.
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